Crash and Spyro, A Friendship Across Lifetimes
by MarcusRak
Summary: The plot is not an extension or continuation of any existing game; instead this story is original and deviates heavily from the source material, yet references, draws inspiration, and expands upon Crash and Spyro's canon to tell a tale spanning two lifetimes. The 1st story of the Gaming Omniverse Tetralogy.
1. Because of Love

**Chapter 1: Guided by Love**

HE woke up on a beach after drifting ashore. He looked up, shook some of the sand clinging to his wet fur, and gazed at the sun rise above the horizon. For the first time in his life, he was free, and for the first time didn't know what to do. To his left lay the reason why he escaped, the love he had never said a word to.

He now wondered several things about himself: how old was he, why does he look the way he does, what was his purpose beside the one given to him, and most importantly, what was he supposed to do now? On his neck lay a brown collar with a white box attached to it which somewhat covered a scar on his neck. His broken, slow, and high pitched voice was a result of a defect in his "creation". His broken speech made it very difficult to express his opinions or feelings; a barrier to those closest to him. Most of what could be considered communication from himself consisted of grunts and gestures, which made him an introvert. His thoughts were kept to himself and he rarely ever spoke with or without the thing on his neck. His former purpose in life was to be a general of an army of various mutated animals. This role was assigned to him by his creator, Dr. Neo Cortex. A machine called the Evolve-O Ray was to transform his body from a frail quadruped marsupial and reform it into the image of his creator. Afterwards, a separate machine denoted as the Cortex Vortex was to shape his mind from its primitive condition to a more developed and intelligent adaptation, closely modeled after the mind of his molder.

There were two "bandicoots" that were held in captivity among a large variety of animals and were mutated upon by Cortex, Subject C1 was the first and a female named Subject C2 was the second. The female's sole purpose was to be a breeding partner to Subject C1 so that further capturing and mutations to subsequent "bandicoots" would not be necessary. However, it was "her" that caused "him" to betray Cortex and become Cortex's nemeses; his love for her was greater than his loyalty to his father. Like any good parents, Cortex and his assistant Nitrous Brio taught C1 how to walk, how to read and how to write. As far as C1's dictation was concerned, that problem was solved by a Speech Assistance Device that he wore as a collar, which received signals from an microchip surgically implanted onto his frontal lobe, which transmits instructions from the apparatus to the SAD on his neck to produce speech for him. Cortex then proceeded to teach his general of the art of war. He became acquainted with several of the other mutated creatures housed within Cortex's fortress ranging from robust koala's, bulging Tiger's, hybrids of several animals, along with some of the rejected experiments yet to be euthanized. It wasn't until C1 saw the other bandicoot for the first time that the influence of his creators began to crack.

All of what C1 knew was what he was taught, but seeing C2 changed this, he felt love for the first time, though at the time he didn't know what this strange feeling was or how to approach it. Their time together never exceeded quick glances or eye contact, but the impression she left on him was so salient in his mind that it dominated his thoughts. One day, C1 overhead Cortex giving one of his lab assistants the go ahead to administer a lethal injection to Subject C2 since "the operation was a failure." Without hesitation, C1 broke stride with N Brio and sprinted toward Cortex and an assistant in a bright lab coat. Before Cortex could understand what C1 was doing, C1 vaulted past him and proceeded to the lower floor. Cortex then ordered all within the area to apprehend Subject C1 immediately. He considered stopping and surrendering, but continued towards C2's holding cell, determined to reach her. When he arrived, he saw that she was strapped down on an operating table with surgical equipment spread around. He unstrapped her from the table and helped her to her feet. C2 had just awakened from sedation and was a little groggy. C1 continued to drag her forward towards the hallway and locate an exit. Cortex appeared at the staircase to the left still not sure what his general was doing. "Subject C1!" Cortex exclaimed to his loyal minion across the hallway, "Stop where you are!" C1 had never contemplated disobeying an order from Cortex before. He hesitated upon hearing Cortex's demand, but proceeded to run in the opposite direction, determined to prevent C2's execution.

"C1, what are you doing?" C2 mumbled, still coming to from the surgery she had earlier. Focusing on finding the fastest path to the ground floor while avoiding capture, C1 ignored her question, instead noticing a window to their right. This didn't really matter until several henchmen appeared at the end of the hall he and C2 was hurrying through. C2 then shrieked and collapsed to the floor. She was stunned by Cortex via his sidearm pistol, but C1 didn't know this at the time. Anger suddenly consumed him at the thought of losing this girl he barely knew. However, it was still important that he vacate Cortex's castle before he suffered the same fate as C2. He noticed that she was still breathing, and decided that they both needed to get as far away from here as possible.

"C1, do not move" Cortex said. C1 slowly picked up C2 and held her in his arms. It was at this point that Cortex finally realized what C1 was doing. "Listen, put down Subject C2 and stand your ground. If you value her life, you will listen to me." Doubt was creeping into C1's mind, he froze and Cortex and his henchman began to approach C1 and C2 from both directions. Suddenly, C1 turned around and kicked through the glass window behind him. He looked down and saw only a rough and turbulent ocean plus a vicious thunderstorm. He turned around and saw Cortex's pistol aimed at him.

C1 did not have any malice feelings towards Cortex, although Cortex certainly loathed him. After their escape from Cortex's castle, C1 and C2 were perused by Cortex and his forces. The archipelago that was N Sanity Island contained three islands, one inhabited by a group of local tribesman, one abandoned by whomever lived there previously and littered with the ruins of what was a great civilization, and the third similar to the second, yet now houses Cortex's base of operations. C1 and C2 tried to hide on the first island. They gave each other names and tried to live peacefully without drawing attention from the locals or being spotted by Cortex. C2 named C1 "Crash" because of the way he broke through a nine story high window and jumped out with her still in his arms. Because Crash didn't speak, and did not like using his SAD, He came up with C2's name much later. He named his love after the local's word for the color blond.

But for right now, Crash enjoyed Tawana's company on their beach together. And eventually, Crash would find his purpose. It just took several lifetimes to find it.


	2. Dragons and their Pride

**Chapter 2: Dragons and their Pride**

SPYRO is a young, purple dragon. Does this color mean something? He had a sneaking suspicion, yet asking the Elders or at the minimum being able to talk to them in the first place was not easy. The oligarchy that is the Council of Elders is a wise, yet secretive group who did not hold any obligations to inform the rest of the Dragon Realms about the contents of their congregations. Elder Dragons from five of the six islands gathered in the Artisans Realm, Spyro's home, once every four months and whatever decrees were made by the council slowly made its way to everyone else. Dragon society was a class system, solely based on age. The children, whom Spyro unfortunately was, spent most of their time under the mentorship of adult Dragons learning the ways of flight, magic, masonry, combat, or of their race's great heritage. Dragons are a proud and ancient race. For centuries they had lived in and prospered at all corners of the world. This was no longer the case, and although it was important to know all about the history of the Dragons, their defeat and eventual banishment to these islands was hardly the talk of discussion.

Spyro recently started to receive special treatment during his lessons, and whatever nonsense or interesting spells and abilities his mentors taught him, he absorbed and perfected fairly easily. This rubbed one of friends off the wrong way, and it didn't help that Spyro was a cocky show off. He was the first of his class to breath fire, his horns were growing in the fastest, and he was already flying, though not for any extended period of time. Spyro grew board of his rudimentary training and wished to explore more of the Dragon Realms. Of course everyone including his friends told him he was still too young. Flame, in particular, was starting to get on Spyro's nerves. "Yeah," Flame retorted while he and Spyro were walking back to Artisans, "this coming from the Dragon that has a portable night light." Flame was referring to Sparx, who currently was hovering over Spyro's right shoulder. Sparx is a dragonfly which has been following Spyro for as long as he could remember. It was because of this that they were inseparable friends. Sparx couldn't (to Spyro's best knowledge) talk, but he sure could listen. Why he illuminated golden yellow was beyond Spyro, and like why his purple skin mattered, no answers were coming from his Elders or teachers. The amount to which they withheld information was infuriating. If he was supposed to be some sort prophesied hero or something, then they should let Spyro into "the know". Now Spyro's grand importance was only a hypothesis in his mind, but the evidence was starting to mount that he was right.

"Hey Flame," Spyro finally responded, "shut your mouth and don't talk about Sparx."

"Fair enough" he replied. "But I can at least talk about you and your grand ambitions to travel the lands and be the hero that the Dragon Realms needs. Maybe you will single handedly march your way to the Forgotten Realms, defeat all those who oppose you, and reclaim the lands for Dragons, your lavender-ness."

"Oh yeah, Mr. Most Generic Name in all of Artisans. Why don't you stop talking before I melt your mouth shut, since you couldn't do it yourself even if you tried." Banter between Flame and Spyro was common, but the degree to which Flame was irritating Spyro today was almost to its boiling point. This jab was to remind Flame that he could not yet breathe fire, but Spyro's insult only spurred him to continue talking, which was almost all that Spyro could take.

"Flame, enough!" Ember yelled, interrupting Flame's next rant. "You're just jealous of Spyro instead of being proud of him." It was obvious to Spyro and Flame that Ember had a crush on Spyro. Adult Dragon's formed life long bonds with one another, and kept their partner for life. Every four years, they would consummate their love by reproducing during the quadrennial fertility festival in the spring. However, parent Dragons never actually raised their children. Instead, all the females laid their eggs in the same location, all the eggs would hatch around the same time, and the children were raised by the community. Spyro and his friends were born around nine years ago. No Dragon ever knew who their parents were; instead, their devotion was to the betterment of the community. It was unheard of for a Dragon like Ember to attach herself to Spyro at such a young age, and her constant flirting was sort of annoying, considering that Spyro just wasn't mutually interested.

"Oh, I'm supposed to be proud of an arrogant prick that rubs his accomplishments in his friend's faces and has the audacity to claim his 'grand significance' to the Dragon Realms, when he is only nine years old and doesn't know what the hell he is talking about!" Spyro had only mentioned his theories about the Elder's concentration on him to his closest friends, but this news must have only damaged Flame's ego, which was fine with Spyro.

"Will all three of you just shut up?" Cynder had finally decided to but in. "Your constant bickering is only proving that all three of you are immature and are not ready to be a part of the Dragon community." Of all three of Spyro's friends, she was the one he understood and knew about the least. She was so strong willed and independent, yet she hung out with him, Flame, and Ember. Cynder probably was the most ready to advance in the community, but the Elders were focusing on Spyro.

"Oh," Flame said sarcastically, "you certainly demonstrate your maturity by sulking and brooding all day."

"And what do you know about me Flame? Enlighten me!" Cinder snapped back.

"I know that you're pissed off all the time. I know that you hold yourself, like Spyro, above me and the rest of our birth class of Dragons, yet the Elders are supposedly focusing on Spyro and it must eat away at you like termites." Flame was in rare form today, Spyro thought. Cynder had never actually been confronted when she expressed her opinions to this group. It was something that she never had to deal with before and Flame's sudden attack must have hit a nerve, because she didn't immediately respond. "Hit a nerve, didn't I?" Flame continued. "What you and Spyro seem to forget is that dragon's don't hold themselves above each other, they dedicate themselves to the betterment of the community instead of boasting about how great and superior they are."

"If you really believe in endorsing that philosophy," Cynder finally replied, "then why does it also bother YOU so much that the Elders are focusing on Spyro? I'll tell you why, because that 'for the community' sentimentality is a bunch of bull. You cling to it since it was preached to you your entire life, yet our teachers and the Elders are focusing on Spyro and it vexes you to no end seeing all of your hard work to impress the Elders is meaningless. You all want to know a secret?" Cynder paused and looked at all of us directly in the eyes, with as serious of a demeanor as Spyro's ever seen. "Our community is on the brink of war. How do I know this, because I was at the last meeting of the Elders. I snuck into their meeting room and overhead their plan to deal with the incoming threat. Relations with the Gnorcs have broken down. Gnasty, their leader, has become increasingly militant in his demands to increase the territory and respect his country deserves. Apparently, this information is too sensitive for the community to hear, so the Elders have been keeping this information under wraps."

Flame was dumbstruck upon hearing the news, and Spyro was flooded with thoughts. How could the relation between the Dragons and the Gnorcs be deteriorating? Both the Dragons and the Gnorcs are refugees from the forgotten realms, and although Spyro's personal opinion about Gnorcs in general wasn't very positive, he never actually considered them as enemies. And what does it mean that the Gnorcs are demanding respect? It is true that their island's surface area isn't very large compared to the sizes of the other five islands of the Dragon Realms, nor does the island look appealing or contain as many resources as the other five islands. Spyro needed to know more about this. "Cynder," Spyro asked, "did the Elders elaborate on the specific reasons the Gnorcs are threatening war?"

"Spyro, Cynder!" Ember interrupted before Cynder could speak. "What is wrong with you two? You can't just sneak into a meeting of the Elders! And it isn't our business to second guess them!"

"I think our lives and our livelihoods being threatened by war is very much our business, Ember" Spyro responded. "This definitely explains the tension of some of the older dragons. And Cynder, I'm glad you snooped on the Elders, I don't think they should withhold pertinent information from the community, especially if it involves our safety or wellbeing. Cynder, we should sneak in together four months from now."

"You can't be serious!" Ember exclaimed.

"Oh I'm very serious. I think for once Cynder and I are on the same page, and I'd like to know more about what she heard from the Elders. What do you say, Cynder?"

"Sure, but I'd like to speak somewhere more private." Cynder replied.

"Wait," Flame finally said, "can I come with you?"

"Why don't you continue to practice fire breathing, and then Cynder and I will let you in on what we know once you've finished." Spyro rhetorically replied as Spyro and Cynder turned around and walked towards a more secluded location. Muffled profanities could be heard under Flame's breath. Spyro always enjoyed pushing his buttons, but now was the time for more serious matters.


	3. Adopted Family

**Chapter 3: Adopted Family**

COCO meant everything to Crash. Her friendship made his life bearable. When she first found Crash on the outskirts of her village, she offered him shelter and food. Crash hadn't eaten in a while, and even though he had been conditioned to flee from any human's presence, he didn't turn down the offer. She was different from the others. She reminded him of Tawna.

"So, what's your name?" she asked as he was eating what she had called a wampa fruit.

"Crash" he said slowly, trying not to butcher the pronunciation but did anyway.

"Interesting name" she responded. "So, you don't speak Budakan, right? It's my tribe's native language. With the way you speak, I don't think you could manage. Fortunately, I was taught English, too. Anyway, why were you alone at the beach? You wouldn't happen to be one of Cortex's minions? Because you don't seem nearly as intimidating as the other's that have 'visited' our Native Fortress." Crash attempted to answer the question using his own voice. Tawna had encouraged him to practice speaking more, but no amount ever helped. He gave up and switched to the SAD device on his neck.

"Yes, I am a creation of Cortex's. I've… defected, though."

"Whoa, how did you just talk with your mouth closed? The sound came from that 'thing' strapped on your neck. That's so cool, although it does sound creepy. I've been amazed at some of the technology Cortex has shown my village. Too bad he's a jerk. You should have heard the way he spoke to my father. He's a chief, dammit! He deserves respect." Crash didn't belong here. If this was the Chief's daughter, than this could very well be his house. Crash was certain Cortex had instructed this village to find and return Crash to him if they had spotted him. It's the best explanation as to why whenever one of the tribesmen spots him, they holler and try to capture him.

"I should go" Crash slowly spoke in his normal abrasive voice in an attempt not to creep out Coco.

"Well wait a minute. You can't just go out into the wilderness alone. It's cold and raining outside, you could get sick. Or do you have someone you need to get to?"

Crash thought long and hard about the question. "No" he said using his SAD. Even though it felt as if he just lied to Coco, he wasn't.

"Man, both of your voices are creepy. No wonder you don't talk often. Well, I'm afraid I just can't let you leave alone. Come on, stay the night. If you're worried about one of the other villagers spotting you here, don't. My dad is over on Cortex's island. I think he needed to go there in order to talk about a power… something. He won't be back until tomorrow afternoon. But you'll know when he gets back, because that chariot that Cortex used to get here is awfully loud and makes a lot of wind." Crash sat there and finally decided to stay. He didn't want to go back to his home anyway… he couldn't.

Suddenly, the front door was opened and a young boy entered from the outside, drenched in rain. ˂Hey Coco, I'm back! Whoever said you catch more fish when it's raining is a liar!˃ Crash prepared to bolt, while the young boy finally noticed the orange creature sitting in his home.

˂Whoa!˃ the young boy whelped. ˂What the hell is that! Wait, that's the orange thing Cortex is searching for.˃ The young boy reached for a spear that was actually lying on the ground inside the hut. At this moment Crash vaulted out of the chair he was sitting on and made his way to the back of the house.

˂Whoa, whoa, whoa! Niko, calm down! What the hell do you think you're doing? Sheesh, you only eleven years old and you're already as much of a muscle head as the rest of the men in this place. That orange creature is a guest, and unless you've suddenly became a fan of Cortex, you are not going to harm him. Understood?˃ Coco must have been speaking Budakan, because Crash didn't understand a word she was saying. The boy just stood there after being yelled at, and then put down the spear.

˂Okay, okay Coco. But why exactly is a creature of Cortex's doing in our house? And why is it not wearing any clothes?˃ Crash original uniform he escaped Cortex's palace with wore out and had detreated, so he just took it off. Clothing was a necessity for humans, one of the many thing Crash would learn about the tribesmen on N Sanity Island.

˂Umm, good point Niko. Hey, our tribe still has those clothes left over from when that group of outsiders came and observed our village all those years ago, right? Go see if you can find our guest some clothes.˃

˂But Coco, I just came in from the rain, and now you want me go across the village and search for clothes that might fit him?˃

˂Hey, unless you want to stare at his junk for the rest of the night, then feel free not to go.˃

˂Alright, alright, fine. I'm going.˃

The young man left the house in a hurry. "Sorry about that. That was my younger brother, Niko. If anything, he is a cocky and arrogant young little man, but I still love him. I just sent him to get you some clothes which you can keep. No one in our tribe ever planned to wear those clothes, anyway." Several hundred thousand years in the past, Crash was reminded of Niko after he met a young little Dragon. Once Niko returned, Coco instructed him to put the jeans he had retrieved next to the fire to dry. In the meantime, all three of them sat near the fire and talked. Crash tried once more to talk in his normal voice but gave up after coughing midway through his first sentence because his throat was so itchy. Niko laughed at him, but quit once Coco slapped him in the back of the head.

˂What was that for?˃ Niko complained while rubbing his head.

˂You know why. Since when do you laugh at guests?˃ She turned and apologized for Niko. "Sorry about my brother, despite what you thinking, he isn't always like this, although most of the time he is."

˂What did you just tell him, you know I don't know that stupid language!˃ Niko complained.

Once the jeans dried, Crash put on what appeared to be a white undergarment covered in red dots. Both Niko and Crash giggled as he put them on. He later learned that the underwear he was wearing was covered in hearts, and was probably langeree intended for females. He then put on some socks, blue jeans, and a pair of black Converse. This would become Crash's outfit; he wore this same attire until the day he died. Crash then asked for some more wampa fruit using the SAD. Niko looked at him funny and Coco nodded. He was starting to like this fruit.


	4. Purple and Black

**Chapter 4: Purple and Black**

THE Council of Elder's meeting was to happen today. Spyro and Cynder had planned four months ago to sneak into and spy on this meeting. Ember insisted that they stop with this ridiculous idea, and Flame wanted to accompany Spyro and Cynder in their espionage, but Spyro and Cynder told them both to get lost. If none of the adult Dragons were going to tell them what was going on, they were going to find out for themselves. Spyro had learned a great deal about the Gnorks during his conversation with Cynder regarding what the Elders spoke about in their last meeting. Apparently, the Gnorks felt like secondary citizens of the Dragon Realms, since they had less land, less resources for their society, and no representation in inter-island politics. And despite Spyro's opinion of the Gnorks, he kind of felt like they were right. He had mentioned this sentiment to Cynder, and she agreed with him. However, if the Gnorks do perform any form of military action against the Dragons, Cynder felt it should result in a militant response from Dragons, which is most likely why Elders are preparing for war in the first place.

"But Cynder, do you really think the Gnork's have the numbers or the means necessary to successfully wage war? I mean they only reside on one island and would need to use the portals between Realms in order to travel. Gnasty must be in over his head."

"I wouldn't underestimate Gnasty. The Elders did mention something about the Gnork's strategy to invade neighboring islands may be plausible because of Gnasty's discovery of magic."

"Wait, Gnasty knows magic! How is that possible? The spells of the Dragon Realms are well… secret."

"The Elders have a suspicion that Gnasty has a benefactor from the Forgotten Realms aiding him in his goals of conquest."

"I still don't completely understand Gnasty's motivation to wage war. If he is receiving help from somebody in the Forgotten Realms, that that has to mean that the Gnorks are planning on invading the Dragon Realms because of or for the unknown supporter from the Forgotten Realms. However this contradicts with the Elders saying Gnasty is solely demanding more respect."

"Your right, you see, there is a divide within the Council of Elders about what Gnasty's true intentions are and if he really is receiving aid from the Forgotten Realms. This is speculation, and if it is true, that ensures a worst case scenario, since the current ruler of the Forgotten Realms exiled the Dragons from there in the first place."

"Current ruler? Dragons exile from the Forgotten Realms happened over a thousand years ago!"

"This is also speculation, but the Elder's think that the ruler doesn't age or can prevent the aging process via magic."

Okay, this was bad. He didn't know why, but he had a sneaking suspicion that the worst case scenario was indeed the actual scenario.

The meeting of the Elders was to occur at midday; during that time, both Spyro and Cynder were to be in class along with Flame and Ember. Since Spyro was under heavy attention for reasons still unknown, it would be very difficult to come up with an alibi as to why he didn't show up today. But Cynder figured out a good excuse. "If you say you were searching for a missing Dragon from the newest class of Dragons, you should be fine."

"And if I'm question further?" Spyro asked.

"Use your brain." Cynder replied sardonically.

Flame was instructed to inform Mrs. Shoutfire, their instructor for the day, of Spyro's alibi while he and Cynder snooped on the Elders. When Flame asked what he should say about Cynder, she said she didn't care. Flame was still angry that he wasn't included in the operation, but Cynder was quick to remind him of the difficulty of hiding three Dragons within a confined room, and the increased suspicion of multiple Dragons missing from class. When Flame questioned her as to why she's allowing Spyro to tag along but not him, she simply replied saying, "because he is purple." Spyro thought that his personality was rubbing off on Cynder. Now that Spyro mentioned it, they had been together more often ever since Cynder disclosed that she spied on the Elder Dragons. It wasn't anything like how Ember "socialized" with Spyro, but Cynder and Spyro had never had a reason to be with each other besides the fact that they were in the same birth class. But Cynder did hang out with Flame, Ember, and Spyro beforehand as well, although Spyro couldn't figure out why. Maybe she didn't really want to be a loner like she projected.

"Spyro," Cynder said, "I think you should tell Sparx not to follow us into the building. His glowing aura will definitely give away our hiding position." The Elders from the other five Realms plus the Dragons from Artisans Realm were to meet at the Senate Building shortly.

"Yeah, you're right." But once the request fully processed in Spyro's mind, he became a little nervous. Sparx had always been within arm's reach of Spyro, and although it seemed childish, the prospect of not having him around kind of scared him. "Hey Sparx," Spyro told his companion, "can you wait near the exit until the meeting is over?" Sparx made a very faint buzzing noise before landing on Spyro's head for a second, and then flew off towards the rear of the Senate Building. Spyro smiled for a brief second, and then came back to reality. Spyro noticed that Cynder was staring at him and was grinning. "What are you grinning about?" Spyro said embarrassedly.

"Oh nothing, just watching a young Dragon let go of his favorite doll." Her joke made Spyro feel even more embarrassed. "Oh don't be so embarrassed. As a matter of fact, I think I'm a little… jealous of you." Cynder admitting any feeling to him was defiantly not normal of her. Instead of asking for a reason, Spyro concluded she was talking about Sparx and made the connection to how lonely she might be in her life, intentionally or not.

"Sparx is pretty cool, He may not talk much, but having him around just makes me feel, safe." At this point, they noticed that the portal leading to the other Realms was activating and several Elder Dragons were emerging from the gate. "Oh crap, we're running out of time to sneak in unnoticed" Spyro noticed. Spyro and Cynder bolted towards a side of the Senate building, and flew up to the top window. The glass pane was movable, and with a gentle and patient enough pull, Cynder could unsettle it from its frame and sneak in from there. Fortunately, no Dragon was inside the hall yet, as they were outside greeting the other Dragons from the other Realms. Spyro took the glass pane from Cynder while they were still in midair, and carefully put the window pane back into position. They wouldn't have to exit the building from that window, though they would have to wait a good amount of time after the meeting had adjourned to exit unnoticed. There were some rafters on the ceiling that were thick enough that Spyro and Cynder could remain on them unnoticed, thanks to the natural light only being provided from a small windows on the west side of the building. The Elder Dragons began to enter the room and choose seats around a grand central table. This was to be the most formal of events in Dragon society, but even from way up near the ceiling, Spyro could tell that these Dragons were nervous. Thomas, the Eldest Dragons of Artisans Realm, initiated the meeting by suggesting they get straight to business.

"We have a series problem" Thomas said. "If our inside source from the Gnorks is to be believed, the Sorceress meet with Gnasty a couple of days ago."

"But how is that possible?" Titan, the Elder from the Peacekeepers Realm, asked. "It shouldn't be possible for the Sorceress to enter any of the Dragon Realms because of the barrier sealing the Realms from the rest of the world. And Gnasty doesn't know how to circumvent the barrier to allow the Sources entry to his Realm, either."

"We shouldn't assume the Sorceress was able to bypass the barrier" Red, and Elder Dragon from Beast Makers Realms, interjected. "We can't be absolutely certain that Thomas's inside source is reliable."

"Sure," Astor butted in, "but this council should be very concerned if the Sorcerous was able to enter the Dragon Realms. And the question as to how she did needs to be answered and the problem rectified immediately!" Astor was an Elder Dragon from the Realm of the Dream Weavers.

"We can only speculate on how the Sorceress was able to breach the barrier into the Realms, Astor. And we don't even know for sure if she has done so" Red replied.

"But Red," Astor asked, "if the Sorceress did make it to Gnasty's island, what's stopping her from using the intra-portals to invade the other Five Realms?"

"I don't think this council should be focusing on hypotheses. Instead, let's discuss facts and proceed to take a course of action."

"Very well Red," Thomas said, "however, if the Sorceress of the Forgotten Realms has intentions to invade and attack the Dragon race again, it could mean a war for the survival of our species. Our ancestors fell at the hands of the Sources millennia ago, and now that same war could happen in our new home world. Her possible presence in the Gnork's Realm is not to be overlooked."

"But again," Titan asked, "How could she get passed the barrier to the Dragon Realms? That barrier was forged by our ancestors using their very life essences combined with the most formidable forms of magic to create an impenetrable wall. Only a Dragon who knows of the entry spell can temporarily unlock the barrier."

"Well, what are you suggesting, Titan?" Red asked brusquely.

"What I'm saying…" Titan said and then paused in the middle of his sentence. "Is that a Dragon must have allowed the Sorceress entry to the Dragon Realms if she truly made it to the Gnork's Realm."

"That's preposterous!" Red exclaimed. "Only us, the Eldest Dragons, know of the entry spell. Are you suggesting Titan that one of us allowed the Sorcerous entry to Gnork's Realm?"

"It's the only explanation as to how the Sorceress could have spoken with Gnasty" Titan responded.

"But we aren't even sure that she was in the Gnork's Realm."

"Then how else are the Gnork's using magic with such similar manna to the Sorceress'?"

"Yes," Magnus interjected, "I can conclude that the magic being used by the Gnork's is based on the magic of the Sorceress." Magnus was an Elder Dragon from the Magic Crafter's Realm. He defiantly knew what he was talking about when it came to magic.

"Both of you are senile!" Red yelled.

"Red, there is no need for insults." Titan said calmly.

"Well excuse me if I don't take an accusation from one of my fellow Elders that there is a traitor amongst us lightly!" Red replied back furiously.

"No one is being called a traitor, Red, now sit back down." Thomas said to Red.

"I am telling all of you that the barrier our ancestor's made is impenetrable, and therefore the Sorceress cannot be aiding Gnasty in his plans for conquest! Now I make a motion to this board to move forward with a preemptive strike against Gnasty's forces before they are ready to attack." Red yelled flamboyantly to the council.

Just then, a huge, spherical orb with irradiating electric bolts emanating from the surface appeared in the center of the conference table. An orange creature was flung out and violently landed on the central table. The portal that creature emerged from collapsed on itself and disappeared, leaving the orange thing to stand up and look confusedly around before being struck with fear as he noticed his surroundings. Spyro and Cynder, still spying on the ceiling, along with the Elder Dragons seated around the creature, were flabbergasted.


	5. Down in Flames

**Chapter 5: Down in Flames**

CRASH stood at the edge of The Great Wall, just far enough to be safe. All of Budaka was up in flames, a vicious conflagration causing high winds and enormous plumes of smoke which could be seen from miles away. Crash knew that this was partially his fault.

Cortex's pursuits of the Power Crystals lead him into direct conflict with the native tribe. When Papua-Papua refused to relinquish possession of his tribe's Power Crystal, Cortex lost his patience with the Budakan people. And even though he tried, Crash failed to stop Cortex's assault on the village. A small army of mutated creatures commanded by the Doctor made their way to the N Sanity Island and began their onslaught upon the unexpected villagers. From a zeppelin hovering over the village, Cortex announced in their native language that he was tiered of their presence on his island. Cortex, two mutants whose names were Tiny Tiger and Koala Kong, and a restrained Papua-Papua, descended from his aircraft via a large platform and landed in the center of the village. Several other mutated creatures appeared from all around and gathered around their master, separating him from the confused and frightened tribesman.

˂Your Tribe's insistent resistance to my ambitions stops now.˃ Dr. Cortex spoke via a megaphone so that all who had gathered to witness this horrid event would know what was about to happen. ˂Papua-Papua has decided that this tribe will no longer submit to my authority and has claimed your tribe's solidarity.˃ The Chief knelt battered, bruised, and defeated to the right of Cortex, and was being restrained by Koala Kong and Tiny Tiger. ˂This is your leader! A broken and sad man, and for his insolence and for all of yours, all of you will pay the ultimate price!˃ Cortex snapped his fingers, and Tiny Tiger obeyed his master's orders. Tiny took a large yellow trident that he was holding in his right hand, gripped it firmly with both hands, and violently trusted it into Papua-Papua's back. Papua-Papua contorted violently in a spasm of agony, the three prongs of the trident protruding visibly from his chest. Crimson blood oozed from the three puncture holes, and after a brief moment of unfathomable pain, Papua-Papua body went limp. Cries of fear and anger erupted from the crowed watching the execution, but were quickly dispersed by the army of mutants who began laying waste to Budakan. In a matter of moments, fire engulfed the area.

With Crash's enhanced sense of smell and hearing, he was enveloped with the scent of burning wood and the cries of fear and panic coming from the Budakan residents. Some of the villagers were able to escape their home, while a good majority was still stuck within the Native Fortress. This, thought Crash, was genocide. 

* * *

Papua-Papua stood before his tribe, ready to address his people about the stranger who showed up on the third island. The tribe's witch doctor, Aku-Aku, warned him before he decided to meet with Dr. Cortex that this conference would result in the downfall of the tribe. Aku-Aku feared that Cortex had chosen to come to N Sanity Island because, even though he wasn't aware of it, an evil on this island drew him here. Magic was neither intrinsically good nor evil; it is solely the physical manifestation of a sentient being's will. Like his ancestors before him, and all sentient lives further back in time that used magic as a means to defend themselves from evil, Aka-Aka was determined to protect his home at all coasts. For if he failed, he feared evil would rise again, through a man who didn't even know of its existence.

˂Fellow Butakan's,˃ Papua-Papua spoke with his booming voice to this tribe, ˂I have come to you with good news. We no longer need to worry about the strange man who has inhabited the third island. For you see, I have spoken with this man several times, and even though he barely knows our people's language, he has told me of his reasoning for coming here.˃ Papua-Papua received a Power Crystal from a tribesman standing near him, and presented it to his people. ˂For countless seasons, our tribe has kept in its possession this Power Crystal. It has provided our village with a conduit to amplify our magic. And with that magic, this Power Crystal has increased the longevity of our people's lives, strengthened our men and women, and allowed us to build this great Fortress, a testament to Budakan's power and ingenuity.˃ Crash was standing at the top of the Great Gate, listening to Papua-Papua address his people from out of sight. Even though he was a good distance from the congregation, he could still hear everything that Papua-Papua was saying. It had been several months since he first met and became friends with Coco and her brother Niko. And despite what Coco had first claimed, He had learned Budakan from Coco within a reasonable amount of time, and was fairly sufficient in the language. He could understand it well enough. He also could make out Coco and Niko standing in the front row of the crowd.

˂However, unbeknown to our tribe, Dr. Cortex has discovered two more Power Crystals on each of the two other Islands. He does not know fully all the properties of a Power Crystal, and wishes to consult me and our witch doctor, Aku-Aku, about how to use a Power Crystal. In return for our cooperation, Dr. Cortex has given our tribe this gift!˃ Cortex signaled for someone to appear from a hidden location, and a young man appeared. The crowd gasped in astonishment, for this young man had both his arms, one of which was grey and reflective. Earlier in that young man's life (Kawabata, Crash thought his name was), he had lost his arm to a wild boar attack, and had nearly died from the infection. He lived, though, and now he had both of his arms back.

˂Dr. Cortex is a true wizard, though I do not know the magic it took to accomplish this, Cortex has supplied our village with this medicine in exchange for our cooperation involving his work with the Power Crystals.˃ The whole village cheered and applauded. For most of Crash's life, he considered Cortex a selfish and unreasonable being. Though this defiantly placed doubt in his mind. Dr. Cortex ambition was conquest and power; though Crash wasn't exactly sure what this meant entirely, his armies will cause death and destruction for those he wished to triumph over. His work with the Power Crystals must be important to this end, but why involve the villagers? There had to be an ulterior motive. Standing beside Papua-Papua, Aku-Aku agreed with Crash. 

* * *

Coco stood beside Crash in hysteria. Her entire village was down in flames, she watched as her father was impaled and murdered in front of her, and now she didn't know where her brother Niko was. Crash, trying to think of anything useful to do besides just standing where he was felt something summoning him.

"I have to find him, Crash!" Coco said deliriously, "I HAVE TO FIND NIKO!" She was about to run into the blaze when Crash grabbed her arm and prevented her from leaving.

"LET GO OF ME!" she yelled, and Crash did. But before she took off, Crash had to tell her something first.

"Don't throw your life away if you can't find Niko. Please, get out of there before it's too late" Crash uttered using his SAD. "I heard voices in the other direction, I going to help those that I can." Coco paused for a moment. Although Crash's SAD produced a robotic, monotone voice, she could tell that Crash was seriously concerned for her wellbeing.

"I will Crash" She said with a calmer voice. "And even though none of my tribesmen ever showed you any compassion, you're still going to help them. Cortex may be the biggest fucker in the world, but he produced a saint." She ran into the inferno. Crash did the same. He had not actually heard any voices calling for help; instead, something was beckoning him to go in this direction. He felt the essence of this voice, it was important. Crash had never felt anything like this before. It must have been magic. He reached one end of the village and saw a tall, lean man lying on the ground, bleeding out and burred on several parts of his body. He recognized this man as the tribe's witch doctor. Before Crash could assist him, he spoke.

˂It is when a man is closest to death that magic flows through him the freest. Yes, I have summoned you here to deliver you an important message.˃ He coughed violently for a few seconds, but continued. ˂Crash, I now know that it is you who I foresaw to bring balance back to the world. A creation by the utmost of evil, yet you were able to find your own path. It is for this reason that you will stop Cortex, because you are uncorruptable and pure.˃ His breathing was becoming slower and his eyes started to close ˂I leave you with this talisman, a conduit to my power.˃ The neckless had a tiki mask with yellow eyes, and four feathers of four colors attached to the head of the mask. ˂This will aid you on your journey to stop Cortex.˃ The witch doctor passed away after he handed the neckless to Crash. He put the neckless on and was immediately confronted with a vision. He saw a boy of both man and machine, a spherical glistening ball about one and half times his size, two winged creatures, and a notebook. The vision subsided. He then remembered that Coco was still in the burning village.

Crash headed toward the chief's house, only to find a sobbing and weeping Coco kneeling before that burning house. Crash approached her slowly and placed a hand on her shoulder, she recoiled and continued sobbing. The air was becoming increasing difficult to breathe in, and it was too dangerous to be this close to a raging fire. Crash said with his SAD that they needed to move, now. She continued to weep uncontrollably. Crash then grabbed her arm and forced her to her feet. He looked up, straight into her eyes and said with his normal voice, "Go, now!" She looked at him, tears streaming down her face, unmoving. He began to drag her towards the exit, and eventually she started running with them. After a couple of minutes, they made it to the shoreline along with a few of the surviving Budakan people. They looked back towards their village and saw the large black tower of smoke rising from what was their great village. The plume of smoke and the flickering lights from the Native Fortress glistened erratically under the full moon. Coco collapsed on the beach and began crying again. Crash sat down next to her and said nothing. One of the tribesmen noticed them both and approached. He then saw Crash next to Coco and tensed up. Crash looked at him for a moment, and then continued to look at the moon and ocean. The tribesman could hear Coco sobbing, turned around, and walked away. 

* * *

Dr. Cortex looked at his good work from his zeppelin. Three Power Crystals were aboard his ship, along with some of his better mutants and some scientists. One of the proximity sensors alerted him that there was a surviving human shaped heat signature almost directly below. He decided to investigate, not wishing to leave one Butakan alive if he could help it. He told N Brio and Tiny to accompany him. When the landing party arrived on the ground, they noticed a young boy dragging his deformed and severally burned body away from the fire. His body was charred, black, and scabby throughout most of his upper torso and half his face. He didn't notice the three figures in front of him; he simply dragged himself forward a few more feet before collapsing on the ground, exhausted and on the brink of death. For once in his life, Cortex took pity on the young boy.


	6. Because of Good Intentions

**Chapter 6: Because of Good Intentions**

_This is a story about two heroes who go and save the day. There are themes and motives immortalized in greater literature than this that tell the tales of epic heroes who also go on and save the day. These heroes have faults and tragedy in their lives. But they overcome these faults, they rise over adversity, they use the pain of loss as a weapon, pushing them forward to accomplish more than they ever could before. What the audience may sometimes forget is that when the hero wins and saves the day, they still have deal with losing those who have left them._

GNASTY Gnork had been raised to hate Dragons. This belief was bestowed upon him by his father. Gnasty's father told him of how the Gnorks and the Dragons had once lived in harmony throughout the entire world, but a thousand years ago, this changed when a war between the Dragons and the Dinopotamuses occurred. The Dragons were defeated after a long and valiant effort, and were forced, along with the Gnorks, to seek refuge in the most distant and secluded islands from the Forgotten Realms, his peoples former home. As time moved on, the consummation between the Gnorks and the Dragons eroded, as they began imposing their will upon the Gnorks; the Council of Elder Dragons decreed that this island, now known as the Realm of the Gnorks, was to be his race's home, and that the rest were to be inhabited by the Dragons. Dragons were arrogant and selfish creatures. What right did they have dictate how the Gnorks should live? Do they feel as if they are superior creatures? His hatred for the Dragon's increased as his people's constant requests for better treatment and more rights fell upon deaf ears. Well enough was enough; the Gnorks will be oppressed no more. How sweet it is then that a Dragon and the Sorceress herself will be there downfall.

_The road to hell is paved with good intentions._

The Sorceress appeared before Gnasty in his grand castle, home of the Gnork's Parliament. She wore a majestic crown upon her head, a white ruff on her neck, and a royal cape which draped her back. She cared a grandiose scepter with a large purple gem presiding on the end. She commanded respect as she strode towards Gnork's throne.

"Welcome, Sorceress, to the Realm of the Gnorks." Gnasty got of his thrown and bowed before the Sorceress, showing his respect.

The portal in which the Sorceress and some of her subjects appeared from collapsed. The red Dragon that had open the portal lowered his hands and tried to catch his breath, for the process had fatigued him.

"Quite the kingdom you have here, Gnasty. Loyal subjects, grand castles and a fine military. I'm so glad you requested my audience. As I'm sure you're well aware, it is very difficult for me to enter the Dragon Realms or your Realm. However, it seems as if you've found a Dragon who's willing to finally answer my invitation."

"Yes, it was this Dragon who came to me with the idea of bringing you here, Sorceress."

The old Dragon stepped forth after he finished panting and greeted the Sorceress.

"My name is Red, and I am a member of the Council of Elder Dragons. I have requested your audience along with Gnasty's, despite our race's, 'history,' for I have a proposition to make you." Red concentrated for a moment, and then black aura started to surround him.

"Ah," Said the Sorceress intriguingly, "I see you've become familiar with Dinopotamus' form of dark magic. How does it feel, Red, having that kind of power coursing through your body?"

"It's… magnificent!" Red said, smiling deviously. "I now understand how you can achieve immorality and wield such raw magic! The power is intoxicating, and I must have more. However, the flow of this dark magic into the Dragon Realms is limited because of the barrier my ancestors created to keep you out, Sorceress."

"Yes. The magic you and I wield is very powerful, indeed. It is the reason The Dragons and the Dinopotamuses fought all those years ago, for control over this magic via the Power Gems." A similar dark aura to Red's began to form around her.

The Sorceress was only partially telling the truth. The magic that Red and the Sorceress are wielding is not evil by nature, but reflects the soul of the manipulator. The Dragons did not want to control this magic, but instead to govern its use, to avoid having its power being used by the wrong person. For whoever could wield the awesome power that emanated from the Power Gems scattered across the planet controlled that planet's fate. And the closer the gems were brought towards each other, the more of their energy could be syphoned into a wielder. The purple gem attached to the Sorcerer's scepter was one such power gem.

Gnasty could only watch as these two immensely powerful beings, both of whom were supposed to be his sworn enemies, were demonstrating their awesome command of magic.

"Eh, eh hem. Sorceress, if I may interject for a moment, could we begin to discuss our bargain?"

The Sorceress turned her head with a ferocious look on her face. Gnasty hoped he didn't just make a mistake. But then she calmed down and turned fully to face Gnasty.

"Oh, where are my manners? Yes, Gnasty, your hatred for the Dragons will become your greatest weapon. I now bestow upon you the power you need to exact your revenge upon the Dragon's." The Sorceress raised her scepter towards the Gnork. The dark aura returned around the Sorceress as she began to channel the gem's magic through her body, morphing it and commanding it as if it was her own. A dark beam of concentrated magic then struck Gnork, and he recoiled backwards. At first he tough the Sorceress was trying to kill him, but then he started to feel the effects of what this new power was doing to his body. He began to transform, his figure grew in size, his skin color became darker green and his horns enlarged. After about forty seconds, his metamorphosis was complete."

"I have now given you the ability to channel my dark magic through your body, along with providing you with the knowledge on how to unleash a spell that will cripple the Dragon population by turning them into solid crystalline statues. You will unleash this spell at a little past midday a week from now, once the Council of Elders meeting has started in Artisan's Realm. Red will then uses his new found magic to break the seal protecting the Dragon Realms, and then I will be able to transport your armies, Gnasty, to the five other Realms instantly. You will have this Realm and the liberation of your people by the end of the week."

Gnasty laughed manically with his new body. By the end of the week, he would free his people at last.


	7. From the Ashes a Hero is Born

**Chapter 7: From the Ashes, a Hero Is Born**

IF any of the villagers gathered on this beach slept at all, Crash would have been surprised. It was dawn on the island of Budakan. The smell of smoke could still be smelt on the beachfront. Cries of small children could be heard to Crash's left. Those who survived the scorching of their home were now hungry, frightened, confused, and wondering where their now dead family members could be. Many of them were burned in several locations, suffered from smoke inhalation, or injured in some other way. Coco's slummed over in desolation to Crash's right, now having to deal with losing her father and brother for the rest of her life. One boy in particular was wailing fairly closely to Crash and Coco's location. He must have been only five years old, who knows if his parents were still alive. No adults were within his vicinity, and the other Budakans around were busy dealing with their own losses. Crash was reminded of the family he lost. He stood up from beside Coco; he climbed a wampa tree that boarded the beach, and picked a wampa from the tree. He dropped down, walked over to the crying child, knelt beside him and offered the wampa fruit to him. The boy stopped crying and froze in place. He had never seen Crash before, or any creature like Crash before. Crash was only four feet, six inches tall; his soft, green eyes and happy yet calm demeanor probably helped reassure the child that Crash wasn't a threat. He timidly removed the fruit from Crash's hand and took a small bite into it.

One of the older, taller, tribesman who was gathered on the beach noticed Crash and the young boy in front of him. He recognized that Crash was one of Cortex's creations, and was enraged with hatred and anger.

˂Hey you!˃ yelled the large tribesman, ˂Yeah, you, the little orange freak! Get away from that boy!˃ The other tribesmen, alerted by the noise and seeing Crash, also became equally angry. Several Budakans gathered around Crash and the young boy; a mob ready to take their frustration out on Cortex's mutant. Crash could understand the crowd's anger. Though he was not responsible for the destruction of the Native Fortress, he allowed the irate man to vent.

˂You have some nerve showing yourself here, freak! Our chief was murdered like livestock in front of our village by your bastard of a creator! He has invaded our islands, mascaraed our people, and stolen our tribe's Power Crystal. You are one of his abominations, an unholy creation. You have NO right to exist! ˃ The large man stepped forward, rage filling his eyes. The little boy, who before was enjoying his wampa fruit, now ran away from the confrontation.

˂HEY!˃ Coco screamed from behind Crash. Her voice was raspy, crude, and full of emotion. ˂All of you get away from him, NOW!˃ She stormed towards the crowed and got in between them and Crash. ˂He is my fried… my, my family. The ONLY family I have left!˃ The crowed now saw that this was the Chief's daughter. The little boy returned from where he ran to, and stood behind Coco, still holding the pit of a wampa fruit in his left hand. ˂He has been like a brother to me the past several months. He is kind, he is compassionate, and he values life. He is no slave to Cortex's ambitions. And even though all of you were ordered by Cortex to find and capture him all those months ago, he still tried to stop Cortex's assault on the Native Fortress, and when he couldn't stop them by himself, he warned my father of the impending attack. Yet my father didn't listen to him and instead tried to kill Crash. He ignored Crash's pleas to evacuate Budaka, and for his arrogance, Cortex killed him, my brother, and all those unfortunate enough not to evacuate the village in time.˃

The anger and frustration in Coco's voice stunned the crowed. And the way she insulted the chief and defended Crash shocked them, too. But, they couldn't ignore what she had just said, and if it was true, this meant that Crash was not their enemy, but a hero.

˂Coco, I don't know what to say˃ the tall Budakan said slowly and almost inaudibly.

˂You can say you're sorry! And from now on, Crash is a Budakan, and to be treated as such, understood!˃

The tribesman bowed towards Crash and said his apology, before returning to the rest of the Budakans. Coco turned, and looked at Crash. Crash then came up to her and hugged her.

˂Family˃ he uttered in his silly voice.

˂Yes˃ Coco muttered in a tearful but happy expression.

Crash then let go of Coco and walked toward the forest.

˂Where are you going?˃ Coco asked in confusion. After a brief moment, Crash responded using his SAD:

"I'm going to stop Cortex. This time I won't fail. Though I can't kill him, maybe I can stop him… if I steal the Power Gems and destroy his base."

"Wait, you're going to stop him, alone? Crash… how?"

"I won't be alone, for Aku-Aku will help me." He pointed at the talisman he wore on his neck. Coco recognized the craftsmanship of their village's witch doctor.

"When did you get that?" Coco asked.

"I found Aku-Aku in the fire, and he gave it to me. He showed me the path I must now take. The danger to this island because of Cortex's work with the Gems."

"Crash, you can't go alone, I'll help you. I kill Cortex if you're not up to it. I won't let him take you from me, too."

"Coco, you're needed here. Help you people, be with them when they need you most." The little boy whom Crash gave a wampa fruit to appeared beside Coco and smiled at Crash. Crash returned the smile with one of his own. The little kid waved goodbye to Crash, and he did the same.

"Crash…" coco said before he turned around. ˂Be careful, I… I love you.˃

˂Goodbye… Coco˃ crash said in his normal voice the best he could. Coco reminded Crash of Tawna, again.


	8. Journey to Cortex Island

**Chapter 8: The Journey to Cortex Island**

UPON reaching his island, Cortex became aware through surveillance that his former general had returned. Oh good, he though, one last loose end to tie up before departing these useless islands. Cortex had seven Power Gems, which meant he could finally act out his grand plan and take over this world. It was important that he unified the world under his leadership. He was the only person smart enough to do so. He needed to acquire control through force, quickly and with no resistance. He would use the power of these prophesied Gems and enslave millions of lives instantly. Use of these Gems energy's had yielded some of the greatest inventions in mankind's history: the Evolve-O Ray and the Cortex Vortex. And legend had it that those who wielded the "magic" of the seven Colored Gems could gain immortality and complete, willful control over the energy that surged within these stones. It all sounded like fairytales until he discovered a Power Gem in his adolescence. He studied that Power Crystal intensely, until he discovered that the sheer amount of energy held within the crystal was incomprehensible. However, he couldn't extract the energy at all. He later learned that by having multiple crystals within close vicinity of each other, did the incredible power locked within the crystalline structure become easier to access. He observed this when he had three crystals onboard his zeppelin earlier. If only he knew more about who had control over the seven gems all those millennia ago; he would need to consult N Tropy about this. Their work with the Power Gems on time travel has produced some interesting results. 

* * *

Cortex had left several of his mutants behind on N Sanity Island to keep the island secure and to hunt down any of the surviving Budakans who didn't die in the fire. Those mutants Crash took care of first. It wasn't easy, but he fought them on his terms. Singling them out or a surprise attack from atop a tree did the trick. However, a mutant named Dingo-Dile gave him the most trouble. He was the current leader of the mutants left on Budakan Island and primary cause the Native Fortress burned down in flames. He carried a flame thrower with him at all times; apparently arson was his favorite pastime. He stood in the ashes of Budakan, setting random things on fire that had not been scorched earlier. He turned around to find Crash standing behind him.

"Aye, if it isn't the prodigal son? He has returned, at last. Or should I say you've finally decided to crawl out of hiding and be put out of your misery, eh?"

Crash stood there, staring down his enemy and planning on how to defeat him.

"Don't talk much, do we? Cortex told me all about you and your babe, Subject C2; quite the looker, too. Maybe I'll take her off your dead hands once I'm through with you."

Dingo-Dile activated his flame thrower and a corkscrew of fire blazed from the nozzle of Dingo's gun and made its way towards Crash. He slid to the right to avoid the fire and continued to run towards a semi-destroyed house for cover. Dingo-Dile then torched the house, and it soon turned into an inferno.

"Idiot" Dingo said in joyous success. Crash had climbed his way to the top of the hut and got onto the roof. Before Dingo-Dile realized where exactly Crash was, he leaped from the top of the building, double jumped in midair, and slammed onto Dingo-Dile from the air. Crash got off of him, ripped a tiny hose loose from Dingo-Dile's flamethrower, and ran away as Dingo-Dile angrily picked himself up from the ground.

"Alright, mate. I'm going to roast you now." Dingo-Dile pressed the trigger on his flame thrower; the activator fluid made its way from the combustion fluid tank to pilot flame towards the nozzle of the gun, but leaked out from where the hose which Crash had removed used to be. "What the hell?" Dingo-Dile asked in confusion, as his back and liquid storage tank began to be drenched in lighter fluid. Crash picked up a stick, allowed one side of it to catch on fire, and then threw it at Dingo-Dile. In an instant, he burst into flames and screamed in agony. He ran around in a panic before the liquid storage tank on his back exploded violently. N Sanity Island was now clear of Cortex's presence. Crash made his way to the second island. 

* * *

The ruins of the second islands were a dangerous and ominous place. That didn't seem to bother Cortex or his minions. They set up a massive investigation of the place in order to find his second Power Crystal. The lives of most of the mutants Cortex had made after Crash were expendable, and for those that had died exploring the treacherous caverns and temples of this abandoned civilization, others just replaced them. Crash saw plenty of dead corpses on his way to Koala Kong. On his way, however, a delusional and failed experiment who Crash remembered as "Ripper Roo" confronted him. His skin was dark blue, and his eyes were bloodshot red. It was a very disheartening sight. Ripper Roo was probably abandoned here to set off any traps that were in this area. He wasn't expected to live. Crash actually remembered this mutant as one of the first rejected experiments he saw while still loyal to Cortex all those months ago. Whatever Ripper Roo was saying, it was incomprehensible. He leaped forward in an attempt to attack Crash, but Crash dogged fairly easily. This area wasn't lit very well, and there were un-sprung traps still around the area, along with several dangerous pitfalls. Ripper Roo continued to pursue Crash and spoke unintelligibly. They made it outside before Ripper Roo tackled him from behind and they both plummeted into a river below. Crash swam to the edge of the stream, dealing with the racing current as he did so. He reached the shore and turned, only to notice that Ripper Roo was frantically waving his small arms and struggled mightily to keep his head above water. Crash ran across the shoreline, trying to think of some way to help the deranged creature. It wasn't until Crash saw what was up ahead that he stopped. Ripper Roo disappeared upon reaching the end of the waterfall; when Crash made it to the edge, he peered over the side and spotted a lifeless blue kangaroo drifting down the current. He must have struck one of the rocks at the base of the waterfall. Though Crash was a mutant, he was fortunate to be alive and well, he took pity on the creature, and moved towards Cortex's mineshaft. 

* * *

Being in such remote and reclusive islands, Cortex needed to come up with ways to power his operations on the third island. That's where this mineshaft burying into the side of a dormant volcano came into play. Currently, Koala Kong was overseeing the operation, keeping the lesser mutants in check as the slaves mined and transported coal to the surface. Crash contemplated just avoiding the place entirely and going straight to Cortex's Island. But he knew that he needed to deal with all of Cortex's threats on all the islands. None of the ruthless savages that were Cortex's select group of superior mutants could be left to terrorize the Budakans anymore.

There was almost no automation to the excavation site, the coal was quarried and transported manually by hundreds of mutated and deformed creatures that worked without hesitation until they died of exhaustion or malnourishment. Corpses were tossed into the molten lava to avoid having to bury them and allowing them to pile up or rot. The coal was even boated to the third island by manually propelled boats. Even as slaves, these creatures were still blindly loyal to their creator and master, and once Kola ordered them to attack, Crash was swarmed by hundreds of mutants varying greatly in size, strength, color, and state of decay. He avoided off the first wave, and borrowed a mine cart to quickly make his way deeper into the volcano. He stealthily avoided large clusters of mindless mutants, and made his way toward Koala Kong. He could hear his horrible voice echoing throughout the chambers of the inner excavation site. The heat and dry air was almost unbearable. He appeared from behind a stalagmite and saw the large, grey furred mutant that was Koala Kong. The Mutant wore a large red shirt and yellow pants. Dr. Cortex's insignia, the letter 'N', was proudly stamped on the top left part of the shirt.

"So, I see the rat has come out of hiding. A transmission by Dingo-Dile from N Sanity Island said you were in the area. I guess you took care of the crock, didn't you?" Kong's dictation was terrible, as bad as his, except his pitch was much lower and snarlier than his, plus Kong wasn't self-conscience about it. He was much stronger than Crash was, however, Niko would be the reason he would win this fight. As young as he was, Niko was gifted when it came to combat. He demonstrated his technique which he had learned from his father and the other tribesman on Crash himself when they had first met. He was strong for his age and size, and took Crash down hard the first couple of times they "practiced" together. Niko was a proud and cocky little Budakan. But he loved his culture and his people, and would have grown up to be a fierce defender of his peoples. After a while, Crash had learned a lot from him, and thanked him for the training. Little did Crash know that Niko's training might actually save his life. Too bad Crash couldn't have returned the favor.

Kong picked up a large bolder and heaved it at Crash's direction with stunning speed. Crash narrowly dogged the first bolder, and eluded the second one. That boulder struck some TNT that was lying around and tossed it near a lava pit bordering the area Kong and Crash were fighting at. Crash was light on his feet and an excellent dodger; he could counter Kong's bulky form and slow movement with punishing strikes to both his legs and chest. He followed off this assaults with something new. He spun rapidly and the resulting contact with his stiff arms and legs sent Kong flying backwards into some stalagmites. His frustration was evident on his face; he was losing to a scrawny wimp. He hurled another bolder towards Crash, and it landed in a pool of lave, spewing drops of lava all around, some of which landed on the TNT crates that had settled near the lava earlier. Suddenly, several explosions erupted from behind, destabilizing the roof and surrounding cave. Lava started to fill the area as a pool of it from to the left now could ooze freely into the cavern. Kong was pinned down by some boulders, and blood could be seen puddling underneath. He was hurt bad, and didn't have the strength to move the bolder. He grunted loudly but could not move the bolder pinning him down. The lava began to creep closer. Crash, temporally knocked out by colliding with some rocks awoke to see the lava flowing in and headed to the exit before hearing Kong's cry for help. Crash reached for one of the broken wooden support beams and wedged it underneath the bolder and tried to leverage it free. After his second effort, he was able to lift the bolder high enough for Kong to free his crushed leg. Kong could barely move and was in serious pain. Crash offered him his hand, and began dragging him away from the area. Just then, more mutants came from out of nowhere and attacked both Crash and Kong. They chose a horrible time to rebel. Kong was defenseless in his current condition, and a mob began to rip him to shreds. Crash struggled to get the first mutant off, and threw it into a second that was sprinting towards him. Larger mutants then appeared and charged at him directly. Lava was quickly approaching from behind and dripping from the ceiling. Crash needed to get out of here, now. He double jumped over the first one and landed on the back of the second, then slammed both of his hands onto the creature's ears, popping his ear drums and giving it a serious migraine. He flung crash off, before running into a wall in confusion. The other mutant began to give chase, but Crash sprinted away and earned distance from the caving mine shaft. It was an intense minute and a half, but Crash successfully made it to the surface again. The volcano must have become active again. Crash noticed a boat coming towards the beach. He made his way to it, hoping to commandeer it and get To Cortex's island. He was going to pay for what he has done to the Budakan's, Ripper Roo, and all the mutants in this coal shaft.


	9. Temporal Displacement

**Chapter 9: Temporal Displacement**

EVERYONE in the room did not move or utter a word for at least five seconds. Crash was kneeling on the center table; he was stuck with fear and froze, for he did not know where he was or how dangerous this place was. He saw the Elder Dragons all around him, large, intimidating creatures with huge wings and imposing figures. Spyro and Cynder, who were well hidden on the support beams near the ceiling, were also in shock at what just happened. Who was this creature, they both thought, and how in the world did he manage to teleport into the Council of Elders meeting, and by extension bypass the magical barrier surrounding the Realm of the Dragons? It was Red who acted first. He lunged toward Crash with surprising speed for a Dragon of his age. Though Crash was not looking at him, he leaped remarkably high to avoid Red's claws and landed on the floor behind Red's seat at the table.

"Stop the intruder, at once!" Red snarled as repositioned himself on the table. Magnus, who had sat to the right of Red, began conjuring a spell to immobilize Crash. Magnus was considered the premier magic caster of all the Realms. He launched the magical entrapment spell at Crash, and then something unprecedented happened. A green sphere illuminated around Crash. Magnus, astonished at what just happened, was perceptive enough to realize that the talisman that hung around Crash's neck had begun to emanate light. He sensed the spirit that was entangled within the artifact that hung from this creature's neck. Magnus would not continue to fight this creature, for he had nothing to fear.

"Did that thing just deflect a spell from Magnus?" Spyro whispered to Cynder. She did not respond, for she was too focused on what was transpiring below. Astor, who was the next closest Dragon to Crash, unleashed a torrent of fire in Crash's direction, yet the green sphere around Crash's body insulated him from the sweltering blue flames. At this point Crash bolted for the windows on the west side of the building. He narrowly avoided Titan's grasp as he slid past him, recovered to his feet and vaulted through a window, shattering it.

"We need to append the intruder immediately" Red barked at Thomas. "Set of an alarm, nothing gets on or off Artisan Island." Thomas, the Elder Dragon of Artisans, raised his left arm in concentration, and within a few moments, all of Artisan's warriors were alerted of the threat told to them by their Elder.

"Red, I believe you had mentioned just moments ago about how unbreachable the barrier to the Dragon Realms was." Titan said sarcastically to a now fuming Red.

"This is no time for jokes, Titan! That thing could be a spy for the Gnorks, and he may have just heard the contents of our entire meeting! He needs to be captured now."

"Let's move, Elders!" Thomas said commandingly. "We're not going to do any good in here. Let's go outside and monitor the progress made to apprehend the intruder."

The Council of Elders vacated the Senate Building, giving Spyro and Cynder the opportunity to quickly leave in the opposite direction, through the same window that Crash had busted earlier.

"We need to capture that orange creature immediately." Cynder commanded once Spyro and Cynder were a good distance in the air.

"Why, shouldn't we leave that thing's capture to the Elders? If we apprehend and turn it over to the Elder's, wouldn't they suspect that we knew too much?"

"We're not going to hand it over once we capture him. We're going to interrogate it ourselves."

"You can't be serious?"

"Dead serious. Look Spyro, all signs are pointing to fact that Sorceress has finally found a way to enter the Dragon Realms and finish off her thousand year campaign to kill all Dragons. And it seems she is using the Gnork's to accomplish that goal. If that orange… thing has anything to do with the Gnorks, it may know crucial information about how the Sorceress entered the Gnork's Realm and how he himself got to our Realm."

"This sounds like information that the Elder's would need to know. Why would we keep this information to ourselves?"

"We're not going to withhold that information we get once we capture the intruder, we'll just know the information first. We can incapacitate the intruder and leave him somewhere the militia will find him once we know what we need to."

"This still sounds crazy. And how do you plan on finding him in the first place? We don't even know which way he went after escaping the Senate Building."

"He will head to the nearest forest to find cover, which is the direction we're currently flying towards. Once there, we'll hover over the tree line and find him. It's important that we locate him, so be vigilant." 

* * *

If Crash's heart was beating any faster, he might pass out. This was unbelievable! He carefully replayed the events that led him to this current predicament. The Crystals and Gems were gathered at the Time Twister Machine, and N Tropy's device became unstable once he interrupted the power supply to the device. The destabilization of the Time Twisting Machine might have been a bad idea (although it was accidental), since the event horizon of the time warp had already materialized. Instead of the portal collapsing immediately; it spiraled and went into a state of flux. Beams of tunneling energy erratically flew out from the center of the wormhole, and Crash was struck by one. Before, he and Coco attempted to diffuse the rift, but to no avail. He told Coco to evacuate the Time Twisting machine, but she wouldn't listen. Crash had to force her to leave, and even pushed her out the way of one rogue bolt of energy from the wormhole. And then he ended up here. He must have been sent back in time. The machine did have the ability to move you to specific locations, but where was he? Too many questions raced through his mind, until it dawned on Crash just what the eviction from his time period meant. Even though he defeated Cortex once and for all (Crash wasn't even sure if he was still alive or not), he would never see Coco again. He was stuck here forever, with no way to get back. He stopped running. The gravity of what this meant started to hit him with full force. He collapsed to the ground, on the brink of tears. He slammed a fist into the ground in frustration. Though he had avenged the Budakan's and defeated Cortex, Cortex and N Tropy had the last laugh, for all his work to free his friends became essentially meaningless since he would never see them again. Just then, a smallish purple dragon landed in front of him. Crash stood up, and tensed up once he got a better look at the dragon; he… he recognized the young Dragon, but why?

"Hey you, orange… thing. I don't know what you are or why you are here, but you're trespassing in my home." Though Crash should have been considering on whether or not he should fight or flee, he was too fixated on the Dragon that stood before him. He… knew who he was, like they had known each other. He had one of those feelings again, similar to when Aku-Aku randomly decided to help Crash on his adventures in the past, or should Crash say, the future. Aku-Aku had definitely saved his life in that building earlier with his magical shield; Crash though for sure those Dragons would eat him alive. But this young Dragon was different, he recognized him like someone he had known before and he didn't know why.

"Silent type, are we? Maybe I should incentivize you to talk." Crash put his hands in the air, gesturing that that wouldn't be necessary. Crash was just as surprised that he could understand what this Dragon was saying; it wasn't like he was speaking English or Budakan. Probably Aku-Aku's work again (I really don't know how this trinket works, do I). He was about to say something using his SAD, when he heard a faint flapping noise from a distance away. Crash's ears pivoted to better locate the noise, and then he braced for impact once Cynder rapidly swooped in from the air and tackled him. She must have dragged him ten feet on the ground. Her right claw dug deeply into Crash's right shoulder as she grappled on top of him and pinned him to the ground.

Spyro was just as shocked as Crash that Cynder had shown up. They had split up to cover more of the forest, and he didn't think she would be able to find him so easily or know when he found the orange guy. The way she tackled him was so vicious and ferocious. He could see the creature recoiled in pain as he lay helplessly under Cynder. She meant business.

"Talk! Who are you and why were you spying on the Council of Elders!? Did Gnasty send you?" Crash, ignoring the pain in his right shoulder, got his left leg free from Cynder's right back leg, and kneed the Dragoness as hard as he could on her soft underbelly. She flinched at the sudden pain in her abdomen. Crash left hand then came free, and he thrust the palm of his hand into Cynder's snout in order to get her off of him. He then took both of his legs and pushed her away from him, then rolled backwards and got to his feet. He was bleeding badly, but the black Dragoness was incapacitated, and the other one seemed to be startled that he was able to break free from the Black Dragon's grip. He took this opportunity to retreat further into the woods and seek cover from his pursuers.

"Cynder, are you okay?" Spyro asked jogging toward Cynder.

"Why the hell are you still standing there!" she said angrily as she rubbed her nose. "Ugh, get out of my way, that thing is mine!" She took two steps forward before launching into the air.

"Fine, thanks for asking" Spyro said sarcastically to himself before he took off and followed Cynder.

Crash traversed his way through the forest, grasping his bleeding right shoulder and stopped at a river. He cupped both hands, grimacing as moving his right arm caused intense pain. He drank the water from his hands, then proceed to wash out his wound with the water from the stream. Glistening red blood and water made its way downstream. "What to do now?" Crash thought to himself. He was stuck in the past, he would never see Coco again, and was being hunted. He heard flapping noises again from a distance away. The Dragons had found him again. He stood up, still reeling in pain. He attempted to run away, but was quickly fatigued, as he had been running for almost thirty minutes and had lost a considerable amount of blood. He kept pressure on the wound, but the gash needed to be sealed soon, or he could bleed out. Cynder landed in front of Crash and Spyro behind him. They had him pinned, he had nowhere to go. Cynder lunged toward him, pounced on him again, and threw at a tree nearby. The impact knocked out any will Crash had left to run. He leaned against the tree, clutching his shoulder and breathed heavily. Crash was starting to lose consciences.

"Cynder, was that really necessary? He looks like he's in a lot of pain, and could bleed out soon."

Cynder just stared at him, and then looked at her prey. Just then, Sparx appeared from the treetops and hovered over Spyro's shoulder.

"Hey, Sparx, I can't believe that I almost forgot about you!"

Crash, with what little energy he had left, stared at the dragonfly, and was hit with the same flashback he had all those years ago during the burning of Budakan when he first held Aku-Aku. These were the two "winged creatures" he saw in the vision. Sparx then flew towards Crash and stared at him for a moment. Aku-Aku eyes started to glow dimly.

"Spyro" Crash said in his normal voice with as much effort as he could to make the words audible. He coughed violently; some blood came out and landed on the ground between him and the two Dragons.

"Please… help me… for… Sparx" Crash was struggling to concentrate enough to make his SAD work. He passed out and slumped over in the dirt midsentence.

"Wait, how did he know Sparx's and I's name?" Sparx landed on top of Crash's injured shoulder and began to change color. His golden yellow aura changed to blue, and suddenly Crash's injury started to heal itself, with the damaged area emanating the same golden aura that Sparx usually produced.

"Sparx, what happened to you?" Spyro said in confusion, he had never seen Sparx change color's before.

"It looks like he healed our captive," Cynder interjected, "but why?"

"It seems as if Sparx trusts him, so I do, too." Sparx returned to hovering over Spyro made a faint buzzing noise.

"You can't be serious, Spyro? We don't know anything about him."

"True, but he knows who Sparx and I are, and we've never even met. Plus we're the ones who almost killed him. Now I'm going to take our 'captive' somewhere safe where the other Dragons can't find him, and talk with him when he wakes up."

"Alright, but I'm coming with you, he's more dangerous than you think he is."

"Oh you don't have to remind me. How's your nose, by the way?"

"Shut up."

Spyro grabbed Crash's limp body and carried him off to a different location. He had never struggled to fly before, carrying this weight made the journey difficult, but he knew he could do it.


	10. The Beginning of a Bond

Chapter 10: The Beginning of a Bond

SPYRO brought Cynder and an unconscious Crash to his favorite secluded spot. He and Sparx came here whenever he just needed to get away from the Artisans. The area was tranquil and quite, an excellent place to think or be alone for a while. Spyro liked living in Artisans, but ever since he had begun receiving extra attention from his teachers and the older Dragons, he just felt as if he needed a place where he could be alone. The area was a beachfront location, with a small waterfall coming from a stream which flowed into ocean. The forest was behind, and a small alcove could be found to the right. The warm salty breeze coming in from the Ocean felt great; the noise from the waves and chirpings from the birds completed the atmosphere. Spyro landed on the beach and gently placed Crash on the sand. Cynder landed after, and took note of the location and surroundings.

"Nice place, come here often?" Cynder asked Spyro. She looked around some more and listened to the waterfall.

"Yeah, I come here whenever I need some alone time. I discovered the place shortly after I got the hang of flying. This place allows me to get away from other Dragons and just unwind."

"Why would you need to get away from other Dragons? Are you bothered by the attention?"

"I don't know. I feel very different from the rest of my birth class. And I'm constantly reminded of it, with the attention of the elders, the pace at which I've been learning, my skin color, and having Sparx follow me around. I feel like sometimes I don't belong."

"Have you told Flame or Ember about this place?"

"I actually haven't. I like them both as friends, but Flame is… well annoying most of the time, and Ember …"

"Loves you" Cynder interrupted before Spyro could finish. She checked on Crash, who still lay unmoving on the beach and breathed softly.

"Yeah. Flame and Ember have been my friends for a while now, but besides them two, I kind of feel alone when I'm in Artisan's sometimes."

"So you come here to be alone to… alleviate your loneliness?"

"No. I guess what I mean to say is that I feel like an outsider sometimes. I feel different when I'm around my birth class. It's uncomfortable."

"Spyro, are we friends?" The questions threw Spyro off balance, why did she ask that? It probably had something to do with Spyro mentioning Flame and Ember, but not Cynder, even though she regularly accompanied him and the others.

"Umm. Yeah. But it's different."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, our friendship is newer than say mine with Flame or Ember. And it is because I think you made me fell less alone once we had a common interest." The conversation was becoming awkward, fast. However, Spyro found the courage to continue. "I was very confused about you when we first met. I couldn't understand why you hung out with Flame, Ember, and I even though you hardly talked with us. I knew you were an independent and strong willed, yet I barely ever heard you speak. I think I knew because this is something we probably have in common. We… question our blind commitment to the Dragon community. It goes against our nature, be we wonder why we must devout ourselves to a cause and loose our identity in the process. We don't want to be just another Dragon, we want something more."

Cynder was looking away at this point. It was the first time that Spyro had ever told the complete and honest truth to another Dragon (he had to Sparx, and he always listened). They both waited on the beach in silent awkwardness until Crash began to regain conciseness. He sat up from his resting position, and noticed to two Dragons standing next to him. They probably expected him to say something. He looked at his right shoulder and noted that it was healed. The Dragonfly. Crash couldn't really explain why he knew this, it was probably knowledge he received during his vision he had after seeing the Dragonfly for the first time, or it could have been Aku-Aku. Crash looked at both Spyro and Cynder, who were staring at him and not saying anything.

"Hey" Crash pronounced awfully using his normal voice.

"Hey" Spyro replied awkwardly. Something told Crash this was not how Spyro thought this conversation would start. "So… what's your name?"

"Cra…" Crash tried to say, but his throat become unbearably itchy again. He sighed audibly and gave up exercising his throat for the day. Crash began to think that he would never be able to speak normally, no matter how much he practiced. "My name is Crash." The monotone voice of Crash's SAD confused both Spyro and Cynder since it contrast so from his goofy voice from, even though they had heard this voice earlier. "As you've noticed, I don't speak very well, but I have this thing on my neck that will allow me to speak. I don't like using it, so I will keep the talking to a minimum."

"Hugh" Spyro responded. "So, how long did you have to practice that magic spell?"

"This 'Speech Assistance Device' is purely electronic. I don't think I'll be able to explain it, but just know that it isn't magic."

"Alright. Where did you come from, and how do you know my name and this Dragonfly's name?"

"Well… Sparx told me."

"Wait, you can actually understand him?"

"He told me through a vision. I saw it before I blacked out earlier."

"Why where you spying on the Council of Elders meeting?" Cynder interrupted, trying to keep the conversation on topic.

"I… was not. My arrival there was an accident. I'm from the future."

"The future!? How far into the future?" Cynder asked surprised.

"Around a hundred thousand. I'm not sure exactly sure." Crash stood up from the sand and looked around. The place was familiar. He walked over to the alcove to the right fairly quickly.

"Hey, where are you going!" Cynder flew forward to catch up with Crash, making sure he wasn't trying to escape. Crash stopped at the entrance of the alcove and stood there.

"I've… been here before. He said to himself, though Cynder heard. Crash turned around and went back to the beach. He stared at the tree line for a moment, then to a location to the left of the stream.

"This is N Sanity Island."

"N Sanity Island" Spyro said in confusion "This is The Realm of the Artisans."

"I will live on this beach one hundred thousand years from now." Crash thought about the first time he and Tawna washed up on this beach, the time they had spent together here, Coco and Niko. No, Crash buried the thoughts before they could consume him.

"Are you okay, Crash?" Spyro asked concernedly.

"Yeah" Crash replied in his normal voice. Spyro could tell that he was a little chocked up.

"So, you and your people live here in the future. I wonder if we Dragons are still around. That sure is a long time from now."

"I don't have any people" Crash responded. "I am the first and only of what I am" Crash was omitting Tawna from the count. "I was… created, but enough about me. Do you or Cynder have any more questions for me?"

"If he is that far from the future, then he knows nothing of the Sorceress or Gnasty and is useless to us." Cynder retorted to Crash's question.

"Yes, I do have more questions. And don't mind Cynder, I think she's still made you punching her in the snout."

"Fair enough, but I think skewering my shoulder makes us even." Spyro and Crash both laughed, and Cynder growled mildly annoyed and turned around. Crash hadn't laughed in years.

"So Crash, you mentioned earlier how Sparx told you through a vision our names. Did Sparx tell you anything else?" Sparx started hovering in-between Crash and Spyro and looked at crash. Crash looked back and smiled softly.

"He's your guardian, Spyro. And if you're wondering why he healed me, it's because he wanted to, I didn't ask him to."

"My… my guardian? Did Sparx tell you this?" Spyro was learning about his best friend for the first time in his life.

"He will protect you from danger as best he can. He will return back to his normal color in around twenty-four hours. And just know he loves you as much as you do him." Sparx returned to hovering over his best bud.

"Thank you for telling me this." Spyro said somewhat emotionally. Cynder peered over in their direction after hearing what Crash had to say.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere for a while, And I'm currently being hunted by most of the Dragons on Artisans. Do you mind if I stay here Spyro, the place is… special to me."

"Of course you can, Crash."

Just then, the sky darkened and the wind picked up quickly. Sparx started to fly around erratically and Aku-Aku's eye's started to glow rapidly. Crash felt that he needed to act quickly, for Aku-Aku was warning him of an incoming danger, but not for him, but for the Dragons.

"Spyro, move!" Crash yelled in his normal voice as he tackled Spyro and they both tumbled to the ground. A lightning bolt had stuck where Spyro was a moment ago. Cynder, alerted by the danger, ran towards them, but was struck by the same lighting as before. She immediately froze and crashed into the sand. She muffled a few words but couldn't move her jaw. Her skin began transforming into a crystalline structure until her entire body was encased in the material.

"Cynder!" Spyro screamed as he got up from where Crash had tackled him and ran toward the crystalline Dragon. Crash got up as well, and followed Spyro.

"What happened to her!"

Crash tapped Spyro on the shoulder and pointed towards the center of the Island. A furry of lightning strikes could be seen striking Artisans. What had just happened here was occurring all over Artisans.

"Cynder" Spyro placed his front paw against the statue, but to no avail. Crash stood next to Spyro in support, but didn't say anything. Sparx circled the statue frantically. Why do all the best and worst moments in Crash's life happen on this beach, Crash thought?


	11. Altered Destiny

**Chapter 11: Altered Destiny**

THE Sorceress waited impatiently for the seal around the Realm of the Dragons to fall. Red, the Elder Dragon from the Realm of the Beast Makers was supposed to topple magic wall keeping her out today. Her subjects retreated slowly as not to accidentally incur her wrath. Just then, a dark portal appeared in her throne room, and Red steeped forth from the threshold.

"What… happened?" The Sorceress said with disgust. He was not supposed to be here, she was to be in Artisans.

"Sorceress," Red said with concern, "we have a problem." The Sorceress looked at the Elder Dragon with disdain. The Sorceress was partially aware that something unexpected happened in Artisans today. She has sensed in, but she didn't know what it was. She would need to peer into the future again and see how this altered her destiny. "Everything was going according to plan, all of the members of the Council of Elders were in the Senate Building, and Gnasty executed the crystal entrapment spell. I alone knew of the counter spell and was prepared to use it. However, during the Council of Elders meeting, a creature from origins unknown appeared from a portal which I have never encountered before. He escaped as quickly as he came, but I fear that his presence will ruin our plans."

It was as the Sorceress had feared; the portal that Red was talking about was certainly different than any the Dragons or the Sorceress used to teleport. Its origin was un-sensible, as if it didn't exist. If that portal was as the Sorceress feared, then she needed to consult with her profit, immediately.

"Because of the commotion the creature caused, the Council of Elders also exited the Senate Building too early and Magnus was able to sense Gnasty's impending attack on Artisans and shield himself and the rest of the Elders from the attack. The Council of Elders remain alive and are in hiding. I told them I needed to return to the Realm of the Beast Makers and came here instead."

The Sorceress yelled angrily and headed to her private study. Her destiny was changing rapidly and she needed to know why and how to realign it, now. Before today, she had peered into the future and saw how she would conquer the Realm of the Dragons and kill all who remained that dared defy her power. There was only one Dragon whom she truly had to combat. A purple Dragon destined to rise and challenge her, a Dragon that could master all the elements of Dragon magic and combat, and stand a chance against the awesome power that was the Sorceress and the Power Gems. She would eventually defeat him when he rose to challenge her, for the Dragon of legend was too young. Red's betrayal to the Council of Elders sealed this fate, for his treachery would lead to the death of all those who could train and guide the young Dragon on his quest to save his race. Both the Sorceress and Red arrived to greet the prophet, and he greeted his master and her guest.

"Welcome, my mistress." The prophet said as he bowed before her.

"Show me fate, now." The Sorceress was impatient.

"Of course, but as I've said warned before, peering into the future may cause that future to be askew."

"Enough with you warnings; tell me how my destiny has changed."

"Very well, my mistress." The prophet concentrated for a moment, and then an image appeared in the spherical orb that centered the room. "Today, there has been a rift in time, and a warrior from the future has come to the past. He unknowingly has altered your destiny."

The Sorceress stared at the orange creature and smirked. This thing has changed my destiny? This was who Red was talking about, she remembered. It interrupted the Council of Elders meeting, and because of this they were still alive.

"It is because of this creature… that you will be defeated." The prophet said as the Sorceress was thinking.

Red looked nervously at the prophet, and then at the Sorceress. The Sorceress stood up from where she was sitting and smiled.

"Oh, don't think that the future is set in stone. Heed you own warnings, prophet, for knowing the future changes the future."

The Sorceress walked out of the room and proceeded to sit on her throne. Her plans to invade the Dragon Realms may have been… postponed, but she still knew that she would have her victory soon. All she needed to do was kill that orange bandicoot.

_The Sorceress misinterpreted what the Prophet said. It wasn't that the orange creature would defeat her; it was because of him that she would be defeated. What the Sorceress plans to do to Crash so her fate will change is what ultimately seals it._


	12. A Dynamic Duo

Chapter 12: A Dynamic Duo

SPYRO, Sparx, and Crash stood around a statue of Cynder that was unmoving and stricken with fear. None of them were sure is she was still alive. The sky returned to its normal color, the wind died down, and lightning strikes could no longer be heard over Artisans.

"What happened to her? Is she still alive!"

Come on Aku-Aku, Crash thought to himself, I need your wisdom. He placed his hand on Cynder lifeless figurine, and Crash began to understand what has happened to Cynder. Sparx landed on Cynder's head and examined the statue himself. Crash could feel that there was still life within the crystalline structure, but this barrier sealed Cynder within this effigy and would keep her prisoner until the source of the magic was interrupted. There had to be a way to free Cynder right now, Crash thought, but Aku-Aku was drawing a blank.

"Crash," Spyro barked at him, snapping Crash out of his contemplation, "Do you know what has happened to Cynder?"

Crash stared at Spyro for a moment, and then spoke using his regular voice "She… is alive… Spyro." He switched to his SAD to continue. "All Dragons on Artisans have been imprisoned using this enchantment; however, I do not know how to break the spell."

"How do you know she is alive, Crash?" Spyro looked genuinely scared and confused. Cynder must have been someone close to him, possibly a sister or love. Crash pointed at the pendant attached to the neckless he was wearing.

"She's going to be fine, Spyro. I promise." Crash surprisingly managed to get through the entire sentence without using his SAD.

"When I find out who has done this I'll… wait a minute, the dark magic the Gnork's learned. Gnasty!" Smoke left Spyro's nostrils upon saying Gnasty's name. Rage consumed him as he turned in the direction of Artisans. He launched into the air and flew towards his home. Sparx followed him.

"Spyro wait!" Crash shouted obnoxiously in his high pitched normal voice. Spyro didn't turn around, and Sparx paused for a moment in midair to look at Crash before heading off to catch up with Spyro. Crash sighed and looked at Cynder one last time. "I promise" Crash said privately to Cynder, before running into the forest.

* * *

Wrath flooded Spyro as he flew through the air. A blue glowing Sparx trailed behind him and did his best to keep up. This was the fastest that Spyro had ever flown. He was determined to make it to Artisans as fast as he could. He had to see the damage for himself. And any Gnorks he saw were going to pay. He landed in the center of the Artisans and gazed at the dozens of Dragons frozen in place. The looks on their faces were horrid. Not even the youngest of Dragons were spared, as the youngest Dragons who were all playing together were frozen and scattered around in whatever game required this formation. Spyro may have been the only Dragon in Artisans who was spared this fate. He was going to make the most of it. Just then, the portal near the Senate Building activated and Gnorks began filling out from it. They were wearing steel armor and carried a large assortment of weapons. One of them noticed Spyro and notified the other Gnorks. Two Gnorks approached Spyro and soon regretted it. Spyro charged horns first into one of the Gnork's, and sent him tumbling backwards. He flew left to avoid a club that landed violently into the ground where Spyro was standing. Spyro let out a torrent of fire in that Gnork's direction, engulfing it in fire. The Gnork ran out of the smoke in a blaze and made its way to a fountain in the center of the village. More Gnork's began to charge toward Spyro, and even more began to emerge from the open portal. Spyro was faster than the Gnork's since they were wearing heavy armor, and used this to his advantage and avoid being surrounded. He took to the air and landed atop the nursery for infant Dragons. Some of the newer Gnork's appearing from the portal had archery gear and took aim at Spyro. He dogged the first assault of arrows from the archers and took cover behind another building. Sparx arrived shortly after.

"They're all going to pay!" Spyro yelled in indignation. A Gnork with a long sword appeared from one side of the building and charged at Spyro. Spyro again took to the air to avoid the sword strike. Arrows were again fired at the young Dragon, and this time he was just barely able to avoid them. He landed on the ground to avoid more arrow fire, and was promptly greeted by more Gnorks who were carrying large metal shields. Fire breath was ineffective, and Spyro was slammed by a shield after unleashing his fire breath towards the Gnorks. The sword wielding Gnork approached from behind and narrowly missed a retreating Spyro. Spyro took to the air again to avoid being ambushed, and this proved to be a mistake. An archer took aim with his long bow and fired an arrow at Spyro. A steel tipped arrow tore throw Spyro's left wing and Spyro fell in agonizing pain. He fell twenty feet before crashing onto the roof of the nursery. The arrow had gashed a hole in his wing and blood seeped from the wound. Spyro was immobilized in pain on top of the nursery. There were just too many Gnorks to take on all at once. A Gnork had climbed his way onto the roof and pulled out a dagger from its sheath attached to his waist. He approached the Dragon and was met with a torrent of flame. He fell backwards and landed on the ground hard. Two more Gnorks climbed up from two opposing sided of the roof that was now on fire. The Gnorks had flame shields and approached the injured Dragon. Spyro got to his feet and dropped to the unoccupied side of the building and began to run towards his School. The arrow was still logged in his left wing, and it hurt immensely just to run.

The pain was excruciating and this wound probably meant he couldn't fly again for the foreseeable future. Spyro was determined to get away from the small army of Gnorks. When he arrived at his school, he entered the building and hid inside. The Gnorks had been following him, so he didn't have long of a reprieve. He tried to bite one side of the arrow so that he could dislodge it from his wing, but did not succeed and caused even more pain. Spyro grimaced in pain, and then noticed all the frozen crystallized Dragons in the school. He made out Flame and Ember, along with Mrs. Shoutfire and some other young Dragons he knew. Spyro again was consumed in anger, but was losing the will to fight. A bolder came flying in through a window and struck a Dragon statue. The bolder ricocheted off the statue, which remained intact. Spyro made his way to the back exit of the school and left the building. He continued to run but was slowed by his injury. It was just too painful to move quickly. The Gnorks were catching quickly. He stopped running and confronted his peruses. He stared at them intensely, prepared to go down with a fight, and the Gnorks returned the greeting. Spyro charged at one of the Gnorks, but was instead stuck by a huge club which sent him flying to the right. Intense pain could be felt in Spyro's ribcage; the blunt force probably broke a rib or two. It was hard for Spyro to breathe, which may have just eliminated fire from his repertoire to defend himself. Two Gnorks approached him and prepared to finish off their prey.

A Gnork raised his heave club above his head and prepaid to deliver the final blow. A rock struck him directly in the face, and he dropped the club and put both his hands on his face. The second Gnork looked around alertly, and then noticed an orange creature appear from the forest, perpendicular to the location at which the Gnork thought the rock had been thrown from. Before he could react, the creature slid into his legs. The Gnork's feet were swept from underneath him, and he toppled to the ground. The other Gnork growled angrily and charged at the creature full speed. Crash waited for him to get close, then leaped forward in the air and spun attack him directly in the face. The Gnork flew back farther than Spyro thought he should have and did not get back up. Other Gnorks were approaching from the school. Crash lifted Spyro onto his shoulders, grunting has he did so, and ran into the tree line with Sparx following closely. Once they had gotten a good distance into the forest and in some cover, Crash laid Spyro onto the ground and caught his breath. Crash reached for a thick stick and told Spyro to bite it.

"Why?" Spyro asked while still reeling in pain.

Crash placed the stick near Spyro's mouth and he obeyed Crash's order. Once he bit down firmly into the branch, Crash put one hand on Spyro's wing and gripped the arrow with his other hand. He carefully removed the arrow from Spyro's wing, and Spyro yelled in pain. The branch did not prevent Spyro from biting down hard, and snapped in two. Sharp canines, Crash thought. The sound revealed Crash and Spyro's location to the Gnorks who had followed them into the woods. Sparx landed on Spyro's wing and Spyro started to feel some relief. The flesh surrounding the puncture wound began to regenerate, and the bones in Spyro's ribcage began to heal. Sparx blue glow shifted to green. Crash leaped onto a tree, and began climbing it. He nimbly traversed to another tree and positioned himself over a Gnork. Crash dropped down and slammed onto the Gnork, taking it to the ground hard. The other Gnorks converged to his location; Crash gripped the shield that the unconscious Gnork had dropped and used it to block a sword strike. Crash leaped backwards to avoid another sword swing, and ran away from Spyro and Sparx in order to give Sparx enough time to heal Spyro without being spotted.

"Man," Spyro said relieved, "what would I do without you, Sparx?" A green Sparx flew forward in the direction of Crash and flashed twice. "Right, better help out Crash." A reinvigorated Spyro soared into the sky and dived toward a Gnork that was pursuing Crash. The impact dropped the Gnork hard. Crash stopped running and gave a "thumbs up" sign to Spyro.

"What are you doing with your hand?" Spyro asked confusedly. Crash's right ear twitched and he turned to face that direction. He singled with his hand for Spyro to get down. Spyro stood confused for a moment and was about to say something, but did get down once he began to hear noise coming from the direction that Crash was staring at. A group of Gnorks was approaching their location.

"Why are we hiding? Let's just attack now." Spyro whispered to Crash.

"Ambush them. It's safer." Crash whispered back using his normal voice. Crash stealthily moved his way through the forest making virtually no noise, something Spyro wasn't practically good at. Crash got to the Gnork's location quickly and sprang into action. He spun into the first unsuspecting Gnork and sent him careening into a tree. He then charged towards the second and nimbly avoided its club. He spun into that Gnork, too, and he went flying backwards. The third Gnork was prepared to attack Crash, but was blindsided by Spyro who charged into his back and slammed him to the ground.

"How in the world do you do that spin attack? It's really powerful!" Spyro looked at the first Gnork who Crash attacked. The tree had actually had fracture lines where the Gnork had struck and would most likely collapse soon. Crash shrugged his shoulders and then looked at Sparx. Crash then became aware do to a message from Aku-Aku what has happened to the Dragonfly.

"Spyro," Crash said using his SAD, "Sparx's life energy has greatly diminished in the past hour. When he healed both you and me, he sacrificed great amounts of his own life energy to do so. If he was to attempt to heal you or me again, he would die."

"Really? Sparx, I… are you killing yourself to heal me?" Though he was so small, Spyro could see the fatigue in Sparx's face. Sparx landed on Spyro's right horn to conserve energy.  
"He will be fine given time, but if you were to be severely injured again, Sparx will have to sacrifice his life in order to heal you, and I know he would if he needed to."

Spyro looked up to see Sparx, and was smiled softly.

"Cynder mentioned something about Gnorks and a Sorceress on the beach before she was crystallized. Are they responsible for this?"

Spyro was suddenly reminded of the situation, and became enraged again. "Yes, it is the Gnorks who have invaded Artisans and the Sorceress that has unleashed this spell onto the Dragons."

Aku-Aku eyes began to light up again, and Crash frowned in concentration. "According to Aku-Aku, the source of the enchantment is not on this Island."

"The thing on your necklace is called Aku-Aku? What, does it talk to you or something?"

"Let's just say that like you and Sparx, we have an interesting way of communicating. If we are able to interrupt the spell that has caused the imprisonment of all Dragons on Artisans, they should all be released. Do you know how to find 'Gnasty'?"

"Yeah, we need to take the portals between Realms to get to the Realm of the Gnorks. However, I do not know how to activate or change which island the portal in Artisans lead to. Plus, there are a lot of Gnorks in Artisans right now holding the place captive."

Crash paused and proceeded to sniff the air. He walked over to a tree and climbed it; he picked to orange and red fruit from the tree and descended to the ground. He offered one to Spyro.

"Ugh… what is that?" Crash took a bite out of his fruit and offered the other fruit to Spyro again.

"Wampa" Crash said with his normal voice. Spyro clutched the fruit awkwardly with his two front paws and took a conservative bite out of the fruit. He had never eaten anything but meat in his life. This "Wampa" wasn't half bad.


	13. A Secluded Gathering

Chapter 13: A Secluded Gathering

THE Council of Elders: Thomas, Astor, Magnus, Titan, and Red (whom was not present) had taken refuge several hundred feet underground in a secret catacomb that was underneath the surface of Artisans. Magnus, the Elder Dragon from The Realm of the Magic Crafters, was successfully able to prevent the imprisonment of his fellow Elders into crystalline statues, and Thomas transported the group deep underground to prevent capture from the Gnorks. This council's worst fears were becoming reality.

The amount of energy it took to cast a spell that could simultaneous entrap thousands of Dragons at once was almost unfathomable. The spell would need total manipulation and control of the energy from the legendary Power Gems. And the Sorceress of the Forgotten Realms had access to that power. The purple gem which presided at the tip of her scepter was one of seven Power Gems in existence. Millennia ago, the Sorceress at one point did possess all seven Gems, and used the power to grant herself immortality. It was the turning point in the war between the Dragons and the Sorceress, and ensured the desolation of the prosperity that the Dragons once had. Thomas' ancestors fought valiantly to steal all but one gem from the Sorceress, and although the gems raw power amplified their strength and vigor, they could not defeat the Sorceress. The Gems act as a conduit to one's own energy, amplifying it and allowing it to be a weapon. And the more Gems a wielder can syphon energy from, the more the Gems act as a catalyst to the wielders life energy. It makes the manipulator almost a God. The Sorceress fended off the Dragons, and as a last resort, the Dragons were forced to retreat and seal off their flow of energy to the Sorceress by hiding the Gems in the Dragon Realms. Using the Power Gems along with several Dragon's life energies, a barrier was created around these islands to keep the Sorceress from obtaining ultimate power. One of the Power Gems was in this catacomb, and four others were hidden in the other Dragon Realms: The Peace Keepers Realm, The Magic Crafters Realm, The Beast Makers Realm, and the Dream Weavers Realm. There was not a Gem hidden in the Realm of the Gnorks. Instead, the final Power Gem was hidden in a place that no Dragon knew much about: A place known as Avalar. Thomas's ancestor thought it best to not allow the Sorceress to be able to obtain all the Gems if she ever successfully invade the Dragon's last home world. Thomas was starting to think that this was a good call.

"That's it," Titan, Elder of the Peace Keepers Realm uttered defeatedly, "we're fucked. It's all over. The Sorceress has breached an impenetrable wall and killed all but five Dragons.

"You may be right Titan," Astor, Elder of the Dream Weavers Realm responded, "but as long as there are Dragons left standing to oppose the Sorceress, we will do so, till our dying breath."

"I understand your sentiment, Astor, but the entire military of the Peace Keeper's Realm has been systematically killed. We the Elders do not have the strength, the capacity, or the magic necessary to stand up to the Sorceress. Her control over the Power Gems energy is too complete. She has been manipulating it for a thousand years. Not even Magnus could survive an encounter with her. And right now, the armies of the Gnorks are invading the five Dragon Realms and claiming the lands as their own or in the name of the Sorceress. We lost."

"Well what do you suggest we do, Titan? Kill ourselves?"

"No, but until someone comes up with another idea, it's starting to sound like our only option."

"You can't be serious."

"No you're right. I'd rather have the Sorceress slowly syphon the life out of our decrepit bodies as she slowly and painfully murders all of us in the most excruciating ways she can think of.

Thomas and Magnus stood quietly in the back, they were thinking about the same thing.

"Thomas," Magnus said, "do you sense Spyro?"

"I do." A unique ability of an Elder Dragon was his deep knowledge of almost all things that happened on their island. It is referred to as intellectus, and each of the Elders had this ability for their own respective islands. Astor and Titan stopped arguing and focused on Magnus and Thomas.

"You know how he escaped the Sorceress' entrapment spell, right?" Magnus asked.

"Yes, Spyro does not know nor had the ability to deflect such magic, but was spared that curse's fate. He was spared by the orange creature that showed up at our meeting earlier today. That things name is Crash."

"As I suspected; you also recall how Crash was able to deflect my spell as well. The necklace he was wearing has a soul entangled within, and that soul can wield the power of the Gems."

"You can't be serious" Titan butted in.

"I sensed the spirit, Titan." Magnus responded. "I could feel the power of the Gem within the room once Crash appeared from the portal.

"It seems that Spyro and Crash have made an acquaintance." Thomas added. "Crash even appears to have saved Spyro's life."

"Really" Astor exclaimed. "When Spyro was born, we knew he would have a strong connection with the Power Gems and be able to wield its energy like the Sorceress can. But why can this "Crash" creature and his neckless do the same?"

"I'm still not convinced our prophecy about Spyro is accurate." Titan interjected. "Remember, he is the child of Ignitus, after all."

"Oh, you're bringing that up again, Titan." Astor complained. "Ignitus' relation to Malefor is not relevant."

"They were brothers, Astor. And Malefor was just as dangerous as the Sorceress is now."

"Titan," Thomas interrupted, "You can't hold Spyro and his father accountable for Malefor's actions. So can we drop the discussion?" The mentioning of Thomas's two sons made him feel really uncomfortable.

"All I'm saying is that Spyro's relation to Malefor probably means he has the ability to wield magic in its dark form like Malefor and the Sorceress can. And that is something we should be concerned with."

"You have to choose to wield magic in that form, Titan" Magnus reminded Titan.

"Titan," Astor said annoyed, "do we have to remind you that we are dealing with the Sorceress right now. She is the bigger problem.

"Fine, but this council still hasn't proposed a solution to our daunting problem."

"We can't fix the problem." Thomas said. "It is now out of our control. However, Magnus and I are sure that the issue will be resolved.

"And how do you know this?" Titan asked intriguingly.

"Because I have confidence in my grandson" Thomas said confidently.


	14. Igniting the Flame

Chapter 14: Igniting the Flame

IGNITUS was born four years after his brother, Malefor. But Ingitus never knew that Malefor was his brother until he was an adult. Although they belonged to separate birth classes, they eventually became best friends. They grew up together in a peaceful time for the Dragon Realms. Malefor always ambition traveling to all the Dragon Realms and even wanted to explore what was beyond these magical islands. The war with the Sorceress was a long time ago, and Malefor couldn't spend his entire life constricted to Artisans. Traveling between islands was a hassle, it was mostly reserved for the Elder Dragons, and none ever considered tourism an important thing to do. His boring life in Artisans frustrated Malefor to no end and this lead to arguments with Ignitus on whether or not they should just abandon their mediocre roles and explore the world.

"Well, how do you plan to get passed the barrier to the Forgotten Realms, Malefor? What, do you think you can just walk through it?"

"I don't know, Ignitus. But I bet I can find out."

"How? Are going to ask and Elder Dragon? Cause I think that would work splendidly."

"Your sarcasm is starting to annoy me, Ignitus. Look, I want to show you something, but I don't want you to tell anyone else. Understand?"

Malefor lead his best friend to his house. Malefor had just turned twenty, and finally got a place to himself. Ignitus was only sixteen, and would defiantly have to wait until he could live on his own.

"Check this out!" Malefor showed Ignitus a large, glistening gem that was hidden in house."

"Are you crazy! Is that a Power Gem! Where the hell did you get that? You didn't steal it from the catacombs, did you?"

Malefor and Ignitus had accidently discovered the catacombs underneath Artisans when they had gone exploring years ago. They discovered an elaborate system of tunnels that they could easily have gotten lost in. In their attempts at exploring the caves, they discovered a library containing thousands of books and texts that detailed all kinds of information on the Elders and History of the Dragons. They both returned to the place frequently and learned all about the Forgotten Realms, some information on the Sorceress, and what was known about the Power Gems that the Dragon's had in their possession. The power said to be locked within the Gems could be accessed by certain individuals and give them God like power. They also learned that five Power Gems were hidden on five of the six islands in the Dragon Realms, but not specified where. Malefor had a suspicion that Artisan's Power Gem was in the catacombs, but Ignitus didn't want to explore deeper into the cave for fear of being caught.

"Why on Earth did you take the Power Gem out of the catacombs? The Elder Dragon of Artisans will defiantly know that you took it, given that he knows everything that happens on this island."

"How many times do I have to remind you Ignitus, The Elder Dragon of Artisan's intellectus does not give him omnipotence for all things that happen on this Island. He must actually think or concentrate on something to actually know about it. So as long as he doesn't become suspicious about the Power Gem, he won't know where it is or who took it.

"But Malefor, why did you take the Power Gem? What could you possible do with it?"

"I want to learn how to use its power. I think I can use this Power Gem to exit the Realm of The Dragons. I think if I had control over multiple Power Gems, if I learned how to wield their energy correctly, I could kill the Sorceress."

"Are you insane? Don't you remember reading about how several dragons with six Power Gems couldn't defeat the Sorceress who only had one?"

"The texts are misleading. The Dragon's did not harness the power of the Gems correctly, for you see our ancestors feared the power. To those whose wills are weak, the power Gems will control you. The power is intoxicating; it will consume you and take control. Instead of embracing and conquering the power like the Sorceress somehow did, our Elders hide these Gems and cower here on these Islands. A Dragon can defeat the Sorceress, for the Gem itself has revealed this knowledge to me. I feel the power surging inside, waiting to be taped. Can't you feel the power, Ignitus? You should be able to, for the Gem has also revealed to me that we are brothers."

Before Ignitus could process this information, Malefor hugged his long lost brother. No Dragon ever knew who their parents or siblings were. Dragons' couples usually only had two children, twice in eight years, but they didn't raise their children, the community did. The community was your family; everyone was your brother and sister, father or mother, or you elder. But now hearing that Ignitus' best friend was actually his actual brother, it was surreal.

"Come Ignitus, I want you to feel this power from the Gem. I want you to know for yourself what the Power Gem has told me, and maybe you will see things the way I do. Why we can accomplish what our ancestors failed at. Why we can restore things to the way they were before that bitch Sorceress took our people's land, heritage, culture, and life's from us. Together, we can save the world and avenge our race."

Ignitus, trusting his brother, stared at the Power Gem and was hit with a vision. Malefor was indeed his brother, and he would wield the energy of the Gems, but who was controlling whom? He then saw a young, purple dragon. The vision was vague, but somehow, Ignitus and Malefor's destiny was not with the Sorceress, but with each other. That young dragon looked back at him with amity, and then the reverie subsided.

"Do you understand now, brother?" Malefor asked Ignitus.

"I do, Malefor."


	15. An Army of Two

Chapter 15: An Army of Two

CRASH and Spyro stood at the top of a hill on the outskirts of Artisans. Crash had convinced Spyro that it was better to sneak there way over here instead of confronting more Gnorks. It took a while, but when Crash reminded Spyro of the possible danger to Sparks, he changed his mind. Sparks had remained on Spyro's right horn at the moment, for flying was too exhausting for him. It made Spyro feel guilty for foolishly confronting an entire platoon of Gnorks without a plan. He realized now that he had acted recklessly, and Sparks bailed him out. It was not going to happen again. What also surprised Spyro was how calm and collected Crash was acting. He said he was thousands of years from the future, was chased and pursued by him and Cynder and had nearly bled out, yet he was helping Spyro out and doing and exceeding job of it. He was only just taller than Spyro was, and Spyro was on all fours. The Gnorks he took out were more than twice his size, but he seemed more than capable of dealing with them. Spyro thought for a moment of what it would be like to actually fight Crash. Could he take him on? Probably, he said confidently to himself.

Crash and Spyro made it back to Artisans, and now needed to find out how to get to Gnasty Gnork. The hill they were standing out was far enough away where they couldn't be spotted, yet they had an excellent vantage point of Artisans. There were hundreds of Gnorks all over the village. They were entering every building and ransacking them to find anything of value. There wouldn't be an easy way to get to the portal, and no guarantee that more Gnorks were waiting on the other side.

"Alright, Crash. What do we do now?" It felt a little weird asking Crash for directions, considering he had only known him for a little less than two hours, and Spyro was never good with orders anyway. Spyro thought it helped that he didn't talk a lot. Crash looked at Spyro for a moment and then put his hand on his chin in concentration. His focused his attention to the center of the village, near where the large fountain was.

"Do you see that Gnork in the fancy armor?" Crash asked Spyro using his SAD.

"Yeah, what about him?"

"He is the leader of this battalion. He may know how the portals work, so we need to get that information from him. We also have to clear the area of resistance if we plan to use that portal."

"Okay. How do you plan on accomplishing this?"

"You can fly over Artisans and get the leader's attention. He will instruct a group to pursue you. Lead them into the woods and use it as cover. Take out as many as you can individually and come back to the village in twelve minutes."

"And what are you going to do, ambush and interrogate the commander yourself?"

"No, there will still be too many Gnorks for me to handle even if some pursue you. I'm going to make my way covertly into the village while you force some Gnorks to chase you, and see if the commander activates that portal again. You said you didn't know how it works, yet the Gnorks do."

"Okay Crash, sounds like a plan." Spyro was about to fly off when Crash got in front of him and stopped him. "What is it?"

"Maybe Sparks shouldn't go with you."

"What… why? Listen, if you think I'm going to get hurt again, don't. I can handle myself. Sparks will not need to help me."

"I know Spyro, but Sparks' doesn't look so good. He may get separated from you while you're diverting the Gnorks."

Sparks flew up from Spyro's right horn and landed on a blade of tall grass. Spyro and Sparks stared at each other for a moment; Spyro became a little nervous about not having Sparks around. Crash smiled softly and took of his Aku-Aku neckless and placed it on the ground next to Sparks.

"What are you doing?" Spyro asked confusedly.

"Aku-Aku will keep Sparks accompany while we venture off. I don't know why, but I think these two will get along well."

"You can't be serious?" Spyro said doubtfully.

"Well, we became friends, right? And your girlfriend almost killed me."

Crash started to make his way towards the village while he finished that sentence. Spyro, mildly embarrassed, looked at Sparx and Aku-Aku. "Crash and I will be back. Sparx, I hope you feel better when I get back" Neither Sparx or Aku-Aku said anything.

I will free Cynder and every other Dragon Spyro thought to himself as he took to the air.

If this is to be my new home, then I will protect it the best I can Crash thought to himself. Like Coco, Spyro has accepted him as a friend even though I was different. And Like Coco, everyone he loves is under attack. It was wrong, and Crash wouldn't stand for it.

Spyro appeared above the Group of Gnorks in the center of Artisans and carpet bombed them with a torrent of fire. The pandemonium sent numerous Gnorks scurrying in several directions. The lead Gnork grumbled at his soldiers to apprehend the young dragon immediately. Spyro retreated to the tree line as Crash instructed, drawing a large crowd to follow him. He had to dodge arrow fire again, but he was not impaled. Crash made his way slyly to the Dragon nursery building whose roof was charred black with fire damage. He snuck his way into the building and peered out from a window. The commotion Spyro caused had worked, as it rattled the Gnorks and had them scrambling to get reinforcements. From what Crash could observe, whatever spell was used to trap the Dragons of Artisans into statues was highly effective. Even the Dragons in the nursery weren't spared though they were indoors. Not even the children were spared this fate.

The Gnorks on the courtyard, including their leader, began to assemble near the large archway that Spyro had told him was a portal to other Realms. The commanding Gnork, evidently angry at what had just transpired, howled at his subordinates and ordered them into formation. As he did so, more Gnorks appeared from the arched threshold in single file. This wasn't good, Crash hadn't seen how the portal was activated, nor did having even more Gnorks to deal with make things easier. He was going to have to distract the Gnorks to get them away from the portal. It was important to keep them distracted and disorientated as to avoid them overwhelming either him or Spyro. He picked up a small table from inside the nursery and flung it out a window, shattering it and startling all the Gnorks outside. He then retreated from that building and quickly made it outside undetected.

Spyro, taking Crash's advice, was able to deal with the Gnorks in small groups of two or three within the dense woods. A combination of fire and charging with his horns proved too much for these Gnorks, who obviously weren't prepared to deal with a Dragon. It had been around ten minutes since Spyro had entered the woods. Spyro hoped Crash still knew what he was doing. He took off into the air and flew back towards the village. He landed on top of a building and viewed the area. He couldn't see Crash, but the portal near the Senate Building was active. But where is the destination? There were about four Gnorks standing around the Portal, and then Spyro spotted Crash. He was making his way towards the unsuspecting Gnorks. He positioned himself collinear with two other Gnorks and then sprang into action. He did that spin attack again on the naïve Gnork, and this sent him ricocheting directly into a second Gnork. They both crashed violently into the exterior of the Senate Building. The other two Gnorks prepared to attack Crash, but the first had his legs taken out from under him by Crash's slide and the other failed to hit Crash with his club. At this point, Spyro was gliding towards Crash to help him out. Crash noticed and yelled out with his hands cupping his mouth "Sparx and Aku-Aku". Spyro halted in midair, but then saw Sparx flying towards Crash with the chain of Aku-Aku necklace in his tiny mouth. Several Gnorks were converging towards Crash, he was pinned. Spyro landed next to him, and then Sparks flew past Crash, releasing Aku-Aku as he did. Crash caught the chain in his left hand.

"Portal, now!" Crash said erratically. Crash (now wearing his Aku-Aku pendant again), Spyro, and Sparx vaulted into the portal before the Gnorks ambushed them. Crash and Spyro landed in a heap shortly after. Crash got up as fast as he could and clutched Aku-Aku in his left hand, while holding out is right. The portal closed once he did, and Spyro could have sworn he heard Gnork's screaming as the portal closed.

"Aku-Aku knew how to use the portals. Guess I shouldn't have left him by Sparx." Crash looked at Sparks, who now was glowing blue.

"Hey Sparx, looking good" Spyro said to his companion. Sparx flew around a little more freely and with energy than before. "Now, where are we?"

The place was arid, rocky, and but no Gnorks were visible anywhere.

"Aku-Aku changed our destination from where those Gnorks were coming from earlier."

"Why would he do that? For all we know, we may have gone straight to the Realm of the Gnorks. Great!"

"We would have been surrounded." Crash said with his SAD as he started walking. The sun was setting and the temperature was dropping fast. Crash was walking towards a castle that was in front of him. Spyro could notice he was limping and favoring his right leg.

"Oh. Wait, I know where we are. We're in the Realm of the Peace Keepers. That castle is the entrance into the town." Crystalized Dragons could be seen on top of the castle. Spyro caught up with Crash and offered his help.

"Let me help you out." Crash leaned against Spyro and used him as a temporary crutch. They both entered the castle and Crash laid down. Sparx provided the light until Spyro lit a torch on fire.

"It's been a long day Spyro, about a hundred thousand years too long. I think we should camp out here."

Spyro started a fire to combat the cold creeping in from the outside. Crash laid on his back and starred at the ceiling. Neither Crash nor Spyro had said a word for thirty minutes.

"Crash," Spyro finally broke the silence, "why are you helping me?"

Crash rose from his resting position and looked at Spyro. He then looked at the floor for a moment before he responded.

"What happened to your people is wrong. I've lived through tyranny like this before, and I'll do anything to stop it. And because I owe you."

"Owe me, for what?"

"Well, you didn't kill me earlier today, and I believe you're going to allow me to live on that beach were Cynder is."

Being reminded of Cynder made Spyro feel a variety of emotions. Crash, feeling that Spyro was upset by mentioning her name, didn't say anything immediately.

"I also need to make sure that when we free Cynder, she likes me enough not to tear me apart. She is pretty scary."

Spyro looked at Crash with a blank expression, then started to chuckle. Crash joined him, and they fell asleep shortly afterwards.


	16. Of Man and Machine

Chapter 16: Of Man and Machine

CORTEX faced his creation, Subject C1, in a standoff. Somehow, this insolent reject had managed to defeat his more promising mutants and infiltrated and destroy most of his Castle and Laboratory. It was infuriating. Cortex's whole life changed upon discovering the Power Crystals; he spent his entire life tracking them down and trying to find out how the supposed "magic" inside the gems actually worked. When Cortex discovered that three of the last seven Power Crystals were all on one chain of islands, he knew he was about to confront his destiny. He now knew what they were capable of, how the gems had been used in the past and what he could do with them now. N Brio had uncovered the Gems ability to alter and mutate living creatures, so he and Cortex designed the Evolve-O Ray. Cortex then discerned what the Gems could do to a creatures mind. He first tried out the Gems "magic" on who stood before him now. The gems had worked perfectly. Crash was a loyal and excellent product of Cortex's genius. But what caused him to betray me? It couldn't have been the female bandicoot?

"So, tell me 'Crash', before I tie up my last loose end on this Island, answer me this. Why? Why did you come out of hiding and try to stop me?"

Crash, staring at Cortex did not answer. The flames from Cortex's castle could be seen bellow. Both Cortex and Crash stood atop Cortex's zeppelin, which was departing Cortex's destroyed base of operations. As much as Cortex denied it in his mind, the question as to how and why Crash betrayed him haunted him, especially now that he stood in front of him, defying and obstructing his destiny.

"Well come on, spit it out! I know you SAD is functioning, I built it myself. Tell me why!"

Crash again did not respond, nor did he not divert his eyes from Cortex. Cortex yelled angrily and took to the sky, now gliding around the zeppelin on a personal levitation device.

"Darn you, 'Crash Bandicoot'! You have disobeyed me for the last time, now die!" Cortex pulled out his blaster pistol from its holster. He fired a barrage of shots at Crash, but the energy blasts did not make contact, as Crash had expertly dodged all fire, while the missed shots did damage to the zeppelin's exterior. Crash continued to stare at Cortex, who gave his pistol a moment to cool down. Before he fired his next shot, Crash finally spoke, not using his SAD.

"Be… cause… of Papua… Papua" Crash said to the Doctor. Cortex continued to fire at Crash, missing each time. Light air began to escape from the craft as it lost altitude. "Be… cause… of Niko…" Crash said louder as he continued to stare down his creator. Cortex, livid at this point, started overheating the pistol as he unrelentingly fired at Crash. A green barrier formed around his target, dissipating and protecting Crash from subsequent fire. "Because of Budakan." Crash said louder and near perfectly. "Because of Coco. Because of Tawna!" Crash leaped incredibly high in the air and grabbed Cortex's levitation board. The added wait through off the equilibrium of the device, and it tilted to the left. Cortex fell off, dropped his firearm, and grabbed Crash's leg before he could plummet to the ground. "Because I loved." Cortex's grip began to loosen as he struggled to maintain his grasp. "Because I chose to." Crash lifted his right leg and placed it onto Cortex's face. He began to push and Cortex struggled to preserve his grip. Finally, Cortex's grasp failed and he plummeted to the island surface. Crash climbed his way to the top of the levitation device and watched as the zeppelin plummeted into the ocean and Cortex's lab go up in flames. After a moment passed, he used the floating board to return home.

* * *

The reconstruction of Butakan was slow and painful. The ash's a reminder of those who didn't survive. Those who did survive returned to their village, and overtime a small community was made. Crash no longer hid from the villagers, thanks to Coco. She assumed some form of leadership, trying to adjust after losing her father and brother. One day, after Crash had assisted in constructing a new home for a mother and son who had lost their father, Crash and the young boy played a game of hid and seek. Coco interrupted before the young boy could win.

Crash, can I speak with you, alone?

Crash emerged from his hiding spot and the little Budakan tagged him, declaring victory. Crash handed him one of the two wampa fruits he planned on eating and followed Coco to the beach. Crash walked up beside her as they both starred at the sunset. She must have been a foot taller than him.

"Crash, how long did you live on this beach before I spotted you that rainy night?"

Crash wasn't sure where this conversation was heading, it made him nervous.

"Four months, two weeks." Crash said using his SAD.

"When we first meet, I asked you if you there was someone who you needed to return to when you wanted to bolt from my home. Why did you lie to me?"

Crash tensed up. Coco walked over a good distance and stood next to a rock formation that outlined a rectangle pattern on the ground. Crash joined her side a moment later and knelt on the ground.

"Who was she?"

Crash did not respond to the question. When Coco knelt next to Crash and put her hand on his should, she could see that tears were beginning to stream from his eyes. She hugged Crash as he broke down.

* * *

A bright light Shined in Cortex's face. He was in agonizing pain, but he was alive. A young, promising pupil, holding a flashlight, approached his master and told his subordinates to get the medicine.

"Ah, I see Nitrous Brio has finished applying and upgrading your Cybernetics. That one tribesman from so long ago had received my first ever bodily implant. It was worth it to get those barbarians trust. But I see you have made a full recovery and am now ready to serve your purpose."

"Why of course master. And with you healthy and brought aboard your space station, we can continue your efforts of world domination and control, Dr. Cortex."

"Very good, Niko."

"Please, call me N-Gin, master."


	17. Dreams or Delusions?

Chapter 17: Dreams or Delusions?

NIKO and Crash sat at the end of a wooden pier. They had been fishing for around an hour and a half, and the sun was just starting to set on the horizon.

‹You know, I'm glad I gave you a chance Crash. I wasn't sure what my sister was thinking when she let you into our house all those weeks ago. One of Cortex's 'abominations', yet you managed to change. I'm sorry that none of the other villagers see you the way Coco or I do. I guess they're just afraid of what they don't understand. Man, you really don't talk much, do you?›

Crash looked at him and grinned.

‹You being around seems to make Coco, I don't know, happier; the happiest I've seen her in a while.› After a long pause, Niko continued. ‹I remember when our mother passed away when I was around five years old. Coco took it so hard; I didn't really know what was going on, but I do remember my sister crying a lot. After a while, though, Coco kind of just assumed the role that my mom left behind. And now when I think about her I can hardly remember her face. All I can see is Coco's. I guess what I'm trying to say is Coco is the only family I have. My dad, sure, but he's more concerned with the tribe than me. But I guess I have to include you now, too.›

This was the last time Crash saw Niko alive. When Crash looked over at Niko again, all he could see was the machine that took his place.

"Crash, Why did you let him do this to me? Why did you let him kill my father? Does Coco even love me anymore?"

Crash couldn't look at N-Gin anymore, for he felt too guilty. N-Gin stood up from the peer and walked closer to Crash. Crash tried to retreat but N-Gin grabbed him before he could. His mechanical voice and the metal covered face and torso that held him together and kept him alive was all just too painful to look at.

"How could I hurt my own sister?" A tear was streaming down from N-Gin's left eye, while his artificial eye maintained its gaze at Crash.

"I can never forgive myself for the things I've done! And now I'm a bigger monster than Cortex is. I'm his worst creation! The things I did for him, the people I murdered. I became what you were supposed to be!" 

* * *

Despite what Spyro had told his friends, there was one time when he did leave Artisans. He was around four years old, and he snuck out one night to follow an adult dragon. Ignitus made his way to the portal near the Senate Building and activated it. He walked through and Spyro and Sparx followed him before the portal shut down. Once they made it through, The Dragon they were following continued to move forward quite quickly. Spyro had grown quit attached to Ignitus during the past year. He was one of the few Adult Dragons that he enjoyed hanging out with, and now that he was old enough to wonder around for a few, Spyro tried to be with him as much as he could. He felt a connection with Ignitus, and Ignitus liked mentoring the young Dragon, too. Ignitus told Spyro of the numerous adventures he had throughout the Dragon Realms, the beautiful places he had explored and the people he met on his journeys. Spyro was enchanted by the stories, and always want to be like Ignitus when he grew up. Tonight, Ignitus was definitely in a hurry, he took off in flight soon after he exited the portal, leaving Spyro and Sparx behind. Spyro was lost and stranded in an unfamiliar area. The portal behind Spyro had already closed.

"Oh no Sparx, where… where are we?" Sparx's glowing kept Spyro out of the dark, and did some to alleviate his fear. Spyro sat down and began to panic. Spyro was four years old at the time, and he could not fly, breath fire, nor defend himself with his horns which had yet to grow in fully. It was nighttime in this strange world, and Spyro had never felt this alone before. He began to sob softly, fearing that he would never see Ignitus or the other Dragons in Artisans again. Suddenly, something tapped Spyro on his back and he jumped startled in the opposite direction. When he faced who had touched him, he saw a creature whom he had never seen before. She must have been a couple of years older than he was, for she wasn't very tall or sounded like an adult, but unlike him, she wasn't scared or sad.

"Hey, what are you doing here all by yourself, little guy?"

Spyro felt embarrassed for being so timid and fearful. He quickly buried his emotions and tried to sound as normal as he could in his response.

"My name's Spyro and I am…" Spyro was trying to think of a reason for being here, "exploring."

"Oh really, sounds adventurous. Although you look kind of young to be all by yourself. Where's your mommy and daddy?"

The question threw Spyro off guard. What did she mean by "mommy" and "daddy"? For Dragons, your parents were all those who mentored you and helped you become strong and knowledgeable.

"All of my parents are back in Artisans, my home."

" 'All' of your parents? What do you mean? Don't you have a mom and dad who you live with and who take care of you?"

"No, all Dragons take care of me."

"Wait! You're a Dragon! I have to show you to Professor!"

"And you're some sort of goat, right?"

"I'm a faun you dork. Now come with me. And my name's Elora, buy the way."

Spyro thought about it for a moment, and decided to follow Elora (Spyro later found out was Summer Falls) and eventually made it to a small laboratory. Once he and Elora arrived at the Professor's laboratory, Spyro was confronted by a scientist who was just as tall as he was.

"Why hello Elora, what brings you here at such a late hour… Oh My! Is that a Dragon?"

"Yes it is Professor. I found him next to that archway on the outskirts of town. You said that arc was potentially a portal to a different realm. I guess you were right."

"I knew I wasn't mad! Oh, now where is that blasted book?" He searched around his cluttered desk and then proceeded to search a bookstand. "Oh here it is." He opened the book and began to scan the words of the book. Spyro, nervous about being so far from home and still wondering what Ignitus was up to, started to shake a little.

"All thought that Dragons went extinct one thousand years ago when they lost their war with the Sorceress. What was left of their civilization was sacked and destroyed by her forces. And the Sorceress slowly claimed the rest of the world, including Avalar, as her own. However, some artifacts and knowledge has been preserved, like this book and others you see here. Dragons are a very magically inclined species, and are in harmony with the forces of nature in which magic interacts with. However, even greater sources of magic are the Power Gems which these texts describe. I actually discovered one Power Gem here in Avalar almost twenty five years ago, and have been studying it ever since. But now a Dragon stands before me."

The Professor entered a different room and returned holing a fairly large diamond in his hands. He placed the gem near Spyro and pulled out some sort of gauge from his lab coat. He starred at the device intriguingly as he placed it close to the Gem and to Spyro. Spyro started to feel even more uncomfortable. Sparx started to fly around the room frantically.

"Just as I suspected. A purple Dragon like… ugh, what's his name?" The Professor asked.

"Spyro" Elora responded.

"Right. A purple Dragon like Spyro here has a strong connection to this Power Gem. I can tell with this device the energy dissipating from this Gem and entering Spyro. This book also confirms that purple Dragons are a special. When this Dragon grows up, I think, no I know that he can defeat the Sorceress."

"I… I want to go home" Spyro said nervously to Elora and the Professor. Sparx continued to fly around frantically.

"Aww, the little guys home sick. But how do we activate the portal? You've never gotten it to work Professor."

"Very true, Elora. The portals are an invention of the Dragons and function because of their mastery of magic. I'm not sure if I will ever figure out how those portal works."

At that moment, the Power Gem began to light up intensely, and screams of terror could be heard outside.

"What in the world is going on out there?" The professor asked. Suddenly A large, purple Dragon crashed through the wall behind the Professor and Elora, and the impact flung them forward towards Spyro. The Professor crashed into Spyro and they both slid backwards, while Elora collided with another wall violently as debris landed on top of her.

"At last, the sixth Power Gem" The large Dragon uttered as he stared deeply into the Gem that lay before him. Another Dragon, this one red, landed at the entrance way the purple Dragon created.

"Malefor, this has gone too far. Don't you see what those gems are doing to you? Brother, please, I know you have the will to overcome this."

"Ignitus, that's enough. I now have the power to defeat the Sorceress." A dark aura began to form around Malefor, signifying his control over the Power Gems energy. "I feel the location of the seventh Power Gem, it is nearby. The Sorceress has come to Avalar, just as I anticipated. Her final hour is at hand."

Spyro got up slowly from the ground and looked at the two Dragons that were across the room. Neither of them had noticed him yet. The Professor was knocked unconscious, but Spyro could hear Elora from under the debris. He went towards her and started clawing at the rubble. He was able to get here head free, but not much else. She didn't move when Spyro touched her face. Sparx flew closer to Elora, but did not look at her for long.

"Malefor," Ignitus pleaded, "I won't allow you to keep doing this. Don't you realize how many Dragons and citizens of Avalar you've murdered just to get six Power Gems? I know you wouldn't do this, you're my brother, and I've always looked up to you and know just how much you care about me and our heritage. But these Gems have corrupted you; they are making you kill all those who can wield magic."

"We've looked into the Power Gem, Ignitus, and it showed us our fate. I will end the Sorceress, and I will control the Gems. Now get out of my way."

"Malefor, you won't just kill the Sorceress if you succeed. I, my son, the Dragon Elders, and the rest of the Dragon Realms are in danger because of what you've become. And I won't let you hurt anyone else."

"You dare defy me!" Malefor swooped forward and tackled Ignitus. They both went crashing into the burring town.

Spyro stood helplessly over Elora's dead body with tears streaming down his face and was stricken with fear. That was Ignitus, his best friend, and now he was in danger. Fear prevented Spyro from following Ignitus and Malefor, but somehow Spyro found the courage to exit the laboratory. When he made it outside, all the surrounding buildings were on fire, and both Ignitus and Malefor could be seen overhead battling in the sky. Moments later, Ignitus crashed into the ground and Malefor landed a few feet in front of him.

"Ignitus, we were going to stop the Sorceress together. Why did you betray me?"

"Malefor, I never betrayed you. I love you too much to let you become this way. And I know that somewhere in your heart you still love me."

Malefor hesitated for a moment, before the dark aura returned. Just then, a purple beam struck Malefor and he was sent hurdling into a burning building.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the legendry Purple Dragon destined to defeat me. I see you too have become adept wielding the Power Gems, like some of your ancestors failed miserably at. The moment you brought the Dragon Realm's five Power Crystals outside of the barrier that insulated their magic from me is the moment you sealed your fate."

Malefor emerged relatively intact from the wreckage and confronted the Sorceress.

"The moment I tear you beating heart from your chest is when I fulfill my destiny, witch! Don't think I didn't expect you to show up thirsty to feel the full power of the Seven Power Gems!"

Ignitus could only watch in horror as his brother and his people's sworn enemy faced each other down in a decimated and smoldering town.

Spyro again was frozen in place. He could only watch as the Sorceress and Malefor began their epic battle. He also noticed Ignitus laying injured on the ground. Spyro, acting instinctually, ran towards Ignitus and stood by his side.

"Ignitus!" Spyro yelled in trepidation.

"Spyro, what… what are you doing here?"

"I… followed you here from Artisans. I… wanted to go on an adventure with you."

Ignitus, still wounded, found the strength to hold his son in his arms.

"Spyro, I need you to get out of her, now. Go to the portal at the edge of town and get out of here. I'll activate it from here."

"But… Ignitus… I"

"Go, Now!" Ignitus struggled to get to his feet, as he did so, Malefor crashed into his brother after being sent in that direction by the Sorceress. The six Gems brought to Avalar by Malefor and the one in the possession of the Sorceress now freely poured their energy into her.

"Ignitus!" Spyro shrieked as he and his brother struggled to get up.

"And what do we have here, a second purple Dragon? Fate must be kind to give me the chance to kill two purple dragons with one stone. Or should I say seven Gems?"

The Sorceress laughed maniacally as the dark aura surrounding her began to grow in size. Malefor was struggling to maintain dominance over the use of the Power Gems, while Ignitus remained on the ground, still wounded from his struggle with his brother. Spyro, stuck in the middle of this nightmare, reached for something inside him that gave him the strength to defend himself and his best friend. The result was a flood from the outside.

"Stay… away… from… Ignitus!" Spyro focused all his malice towards the sorceress, and she was flung backwards by a force which Spyro did not comprehend, but unknowingly controlled. The power subsided, and the fear returned. Spyro ran past Malefor who could only just barely believe what Spyro had just done and once again stood beside Ignitus.

"Spyro, I…" Ignitus could also not believe what his son had just done. He seemed to accomplish what his uncle has spent years trying to perfect by accident. "I thought I told you to leave."

"But… Ignitus… I don't want to leave without you. I… love you." Spyro's words stung, considering what Ignitus was considering doing.

"I love you too, Spyro." He hugged his son one last time.

"Sparx, guide Spyro to the portal, now."

Sparx blinked once and proceeded to head towards Avalar's portal. Spyro watched his brother leaving and yearned to follow him, but remained by Ignitus side. The Sorceress emerged from where she crashed at enraged.

"You Dragons are going to pay!" She yelled in a furry.

"Go, Now!" Ignitus yelled and Spyro began to flee.

"Malefor, we need to make sure my son makes it to the Portal. Can you hold off the Sorceress?"

Malefor looked at his brother and nodded his head. A dark aura began to form around him and he charged at the Sorceress. Spyro ran as fast as he could and finally made it to the portal; Sparx was waiting near it and flew over Spyro as he approached it. Spyro looked back one last time to see Ignitus and Malefor in the sky, avoiding attacks from the Sorceress below. Spyro ran into the portal and was followed by Sparx. Once Spyro had made it back to Artisans, Ignitus diverted from his brother's side and proceeded to destroy the portal home. 

* * *

"Crash" Tawna said as she laid in her bed. She could barely get the words out of her mouth. "These few months have been perfect, Crash. Thank you for freeing me… for showing me what love is."

Crash held Tawna's hand as the sky slowly darkened. It was going to rain soon.

"I love you, Crash." Tawna's eyes closed and her head tilted to the side.

"I love you, too." Crash whispered to her.

Spyro woke up suddenly and startled Sparx, who was sleeping on Spyro's tail. Spyro looked around and noticed Crash, sobbing silently to himself while still asleep.


	18. Off their Chests

Chapter 18: Off their Chests

SPYRO was breathing heavily after awaking from his dream. He never remembered what happened in Avalar before, but it hit him like a flood right now. "Ignitus…" he thought to himself. That night in Avalar was almost six years ago, and he was so young during that time. Spyro couldn't recollect what happened after he returned to Artisans Realm that night, and couldn't understand why he had forgotten about that night, either. Ignitus was like a father to Spyro; he adored him growing up and always wanted to spend as much time with him as possible. Why couldn't he remember it until now? What happened to him? Did the Sorceress kill him?

Spyro's mind was racing until he looked over at a burned out fire and an orange creature resting beside it. Spyro then recalled that he was in the Peace Keepers Realm and his mission to free all Dragons was still underway. He got up and a blue glowing Sparx followed him. He walked over towards Crash to wake him up, but stopped when he noticed the tears streaming down his face. He whispered, "I love you, too" almost inaudibly to himself and shifted into a curled up position. "What's going on with him?" Spyro thought to himself. He placed his front paw on Crash's shoulder and nudged Crash to wake him up. After the third push, Crash abruptly woke up and gasped for air. He panted for a few before he looked at Spyro. He wiped his eyes off with his hands and stood up.

"Are you okay, Crash?" Spyro asked concernedly. He didn't respond immediately, and was facing away from Spyro when he responded.

"I'm… fine" Crash said with his SAD. Spyro could tell even with Crash using the SAD that whatever it was he dreamt about was really affecting him. His composure was shaken, and so was his body. Speaking of shaking, Spyro himself was shaking, too. Spyro may have temporarily forgotten about it, but his dream had really rattled him.

"I guess we should get going" Spyro said after a long pause.

"Yeah" Crash responded with his SAD.

Crash and Spyro exited the castle they had taken refuge in and walked out into red, arid dessert. It was about an hour past sunrise, and Crystal Dragons littered the landscape. This was the army of the Peace Keeper's Realm. Neither Crash nor Spyro felt like talking. Each of their respective dreams had definitely upset them significantly. Crash had tried to forget about Tawna, but again her death replayed in his head, and again his dream was just as painful as when he had to bury her body on that beach. Spyro could not stop thinking about Ignitus. The Sorceress had to have killed him that night. But he was with his friend. Spyro couldn't remember his name, but his skin color was purple. Did that mean something for him, too? There wasn't any way Spyro could answer these questions, and it frustrated him to no end.

"Where are we going!?" Spyro finally yelled out as he and Crash came across a small lake.

"I… I don't…." Crash couldn't finish his sentence even using his SAD. He wasn't really concentrating on directions, instead lost in thought about Tawna, Coco, N-Gin, and Dr. Cortex. He was having trouble holding back his anguish.

"How are we supposed to get to Gnasty Gnork? Maybe we should just use the portal we came here and get Aku-Aku to set the destination to the Realm of the Gnorks, like it originally was."

Crash didn't respond immediately. Only when Spyro snapped at him for a response did he talk. "The portal to the Realm of the Gnorks will lead us into a trap. But I don't know how else we can get there." Crash said using his SAD.

"I can handle the Gnorks, and I won't let my people be entrapped in crystal any longer than they need to be. Now make Aku-Aku activate the portal near the castle and change the destination."

"Don't you think you're underestimating Gnasty? He seems quite powerful if he can systematically enslave an entire population into crystals?"

"I said I can handle it!" Spyro anger caused Crash to walk back a few steps. He wasn't sure just how irritable Spyro was.

"Look," Spyro said more calmly, "I'm the only Dragon left, and I have to save my people. Now open the portal to Gnasty Gnork's Realm."

Crash felt this was too reckless, and he couldn't be responsible if Spyro died in his attempt to free the Dragons. He couldn't have another body on his conscience.

"Okay, but only If I'm going too" Crash proclaimed.

"I don't need your help, Crash" Spyro responded.

"Maybe your right, Spyro, but I going to help anyway. How do you expect to use the portal to get home if you succeed?"

Crash had a point, and there wasn't any good reason not to accept his help on this. Crash had saved his life back in Artisans.

"Alright Crash. I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier, it's just that…" Spyro wasn't sure how to word how dream last night was upsetting him so much. "… I didn't sleep very well."

"Bad dream?" Crash asked.

"How did you know?" Spyro said in astonishment. He couldn't have known what he was dreaming about. could he?

"Lucky guess."

"I 'guess' you also weren't having a pleasant dream last night, considering how much you were crying when I woke you up." Spyro jab was supposed to be sarcastic, but Crash looked away once Spyro finished talking. "Crash, I didn't mean to make fun of you."

"It's okay. I can only suppress that memory for so long before it comes back full force."

"What memory?"

Crash sighed before he answered Spyro's question. "The day the love of my life died."

Spyro had never been in love before. Sure there was Ember, but that was only one-sided. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose someone that close to you. Then he thought of Ignitus again. Sure he wasn't a female, but Spyro was so close with him, and now he had been gone for six years and Spyro just remembered now.

i_Spyro hadn't even considered Cynder_./i

"When I told you I was the only one of my kind, I was lying. Her name was Tawna, and although I had only loved here for five months, it was the best time of my life. We… we were even going to have a child together." Crash was begging to lose it again, but the SAD allowed him to get through the story without choking up. "But she was terminally ill. I don't know if you remember me saying this, but Tawna and I were creations of an evil scientist. The process he used to create me was imperfect. And when he repeated that process on Tawna, it had a side effect. I only learned of this after she died, but the scientist, Dr. Cortex, had tried to cure her of this ailment and failed, so he was going to euthanize her. I didn't know this at the time, so when I overheard him giving the order to kill her, I broke her out of his lair and we escaped and lived together for four months. It was because of her that I broke free of Cortex's control."

Crash fell to his knees and covered his eyes with his palms. Spyro didn't know what to do. He knew Crash was from the future, but had no idea his life was that rough. Sparx flew to the ground in front of Crash and look up at him. Crash, upon noticing him, wiped his tears away and stood up.

"That was four years from when I was brought to the past accidently. But I still can't stop thinking about it. I… just wish our time together could have been longer." Crash sniffled and tried to regain his composure. "Alright, let's go. I won't keep you waiting anymore."

"Wait, Crash. I'm sorry about what I said earlier, and I'm also sorry for yelling at you, too. It was wrong of me. I also had a dream last night, and I need to get it off my chest."

Spyro sat down and Crash joined him.


	19. Live Goes On

Chapter 19: Life Goes On

THINGS had settled down in Budakan after Cortex was driven off the island. It had been nearly eighteen months since then, and Crash resumed a normal life on N Sanity Island. A new Budakan village arose from the ruins of the last one, and although hundreds of years of work on their great Native Fortress was burned down in a day, a new community, smaller yet humbler, arose to take its place. Crash tried to settle down in the village. He was welcomed their but didn't feel like it was home. After about eight months, he decided against the wishes of Coco to live on the beach about half a mile away from the village. Coco came to visit frequently, but did so less as the months moved on. Crash couldn't find happiness. He had avenged the Budakan people, but he had also lost someone, and a chance at true happiness. Coco once had expressed here love towards him, but that also changed with time. Crash never wanted to be with Coco, Tawna was the one whom he loved and now she was gone. It wasn't healthy for him to obsess over it; Coco had lost her brother too and she was able to move on given time, but Crash just couldn't. Coco tried to comfort him; she at first just wanted to be there for him while Crash still lived with her in new Budakan. But it didn't help. Crash saw Coco as a sister, and nothing materialized between them. After Crash moved out, Coco moved on. Life just didn't feel like it was worth it.

Coco was around seventeen years old when she came unexpectedly to Crash's place. She seemed happier than normal.

"Crash, are you around?"

Crash was standing on some rocks that bordered the shoreline. It was about twenty minutes before dawn. Crash starred at the pink and orange sky ahead. He dropped the obsidian rock that was in his right hand and turned to face Coco.

"Crash, what are you doing?"

This was the same place Coco had first found Crash, and again she stopped him.

It had been about two weeks since she had last come here. Here visits were less and less frequent, and Crash though she soon might not come back at all. But she did come back, and Crash was actually glad she came. Maybe she couldn't live without him. Crash waved and walked towards Coco, they both were smiling as he approached.

"Crash, it's been a while since I last saw you. I really wish you wouldn't live by yourself here." She looked over to the right were some small rocks outlined a rectangle. "I don't know why you subject yourself to this. I don't want to see you live the rest of your life alone. It just saddens me to see you like this. Especially since I know how much you care about others and life in general." Coco was wearing Aku-Aku's talisman that he gave to Crash. The artifact belonged to the tribe, and Crash didn't need to hold on to it after he defeated Cortex. Crash hadn't spoke with or without his SAD since the last time Coco came here; he was adamant about speaking again. "But it's nice to see you again. My visits with you in the past had been brief, and recently I felt like I came here only because I was obligated to. But tonight is different. Crash, you remember when I said I loved you almost two years ago. I meant it. And I still do. What you did for my people can never be repaid and I know my father and brother would have been proud of you if they were still with us. You're humble, selfless, and an altruist."

Crash was cheerful for seeing Coco again. All these years he had been pushing her away because he was afraid that he didn't deserve her. That he had lost Tawna and now he was just going to replace her. But tonight, it was different. Something changed as he was staring into the sky. He was ready to move on.

"This is why I've come here tonight. I know now why you moved out here, why you kept me away from you all this time. I was like a sister to you, and you loved Tawna. I can't replace someone like that, the only other person in the world like you who also had your first unborn child. I just wanted to say I'm sorry for making you so uncomfortable all these years. And I also came here to tell you that I'm getting married."

Crash was disconcerted by the news. Coco was one of the most important people in Crash's life now. He had pushed her away for so long, and now that he was ready to be with her, she had moved on.

"Kawabata and I are going to be married in two months, and I want you to be there during the wedding."

Crash and Kawabata had actually become friends since the rebuilding of Butakan. Coco had introduced Crash to him a while back, since Kawabata was one of the only other tribesmen who had spent any extended time with Dr. Cortex besides her father. Kawabata had received a prosthetic arm from the Doctor as a gift for knowledge on the Power Crystals. Though Kawabata hates the Doctor as much as the rest of the tribesmen after what he did to his people, he still had to be grateful for the robotic arm that Cortex gave him. It was quite versatile to; Kawabata liked to crush things with this hand to demonstrate what his arm could do. And as Coco taught him English since he wanted to learn it, he gave himself the nickname Crunch, and it stuck with him.

"I'd be honored to Coco. And thanks for coming Coco. I do miss you when you don't show up. I think I do want to return to Budakan, if you still have room for me" Crash uttered using the SAD.

Though Crash had mixed feelings about Coco's announcement, he still was happier for her. It was nice to be part of a family again.


	20. Extinguishing the Flame

Chapter 20: Extinguishing the Flame

IGNITUS was bounded to the floor, unable to move and just on the verge of death. If he knew is history, he currently was in the former home of the Dragons, the Forgotten Realms. This castle he was in was once one of the greatest architectural achievements of his ancestors, but now it belonged to the Sorceress. Spyro had escaped through the portal in Avalar and made it back to Artisans, but the same could not be said for Ignitus who had been teleported here by the Sorceress once she was done in Avalar. The Sorceress stood several feet in front of him, smiling as she continued to torture her new captive.

"Face it, Ignitus. No matter how long you stall, I will find out where the Dragon Realms are. I've waited a thousand years trying to figure out where you cowardly Dragons are pathetically hiding, I can wait a few more. And to think it is because of the stupidity and arrogance of you own brother that I have you here and am this close to finally exterminating the Dragon race."

"I will… never… tell."

"Oh of course you'd say that. It's unfortunate for you that I can't read your mind, not even with this purple gem. It could make this a whole lot less painful and time consuming. Now, if I had the other six gems in my possession, maybe I could. Or I could just rip through that infernal barrier masking the location of the Dragon Realms from me and already be done with you. But I guess I don't always get what I want, which puts me in a bad mood. If it wasn't for you brother being the weakling and deserter he is, I might have both of you and all seven Power Gems at my disposal. But he ran off with the six gems and abandoned you. Oh it must hurt you to know that your brother cares more about power than his own family."

Ignitus could only stare at the floor. Malefor had abandoned him. He knew that he couldn't defeat the Sorceress, so he ran off with the Gems while she was distracted by Ignitus destroying the portal to Artisans and left him.

"Now you could argue that he regrettably ran off with the gems away to keep them away from me while you nobly kept me distracted, but you and I both know that just isn't true."

Ignitus knew she was right. The gems had corrupted Malefor, and he was just as ruthless and dangerous as the Sorceress.

"It's a shame, too. I've always been shown that it is my destiny to lose to a purple Dragon, one who can wield the power of the Power Gems righteously. But I guess your brother just wasn't cut out for the job. So I guess that leaves the young purple dragon that you helped escape to the Dragon Realms. He packs quite the punch for such a young Dragon, which will make it all the more satisfying when I rip his wings from his back while he squirms in agony!"

His son wasn't ready to confront the Sorceress, and it was very possible that the Sorceress could find and defeat Malefor in order to have all seven Power Gems. But Ignitus knew that even till his dying breath, he would do anything he could to keep this monster away from his son.

"My son… can defeat… you."

"Oh he can, can't he? Well why don't you tell me how to get to him, and we can have our rematch. I'm sure the toddler is ready for it, since you seem so confident. Oh that's right, you don't know of another way to get to the Dragon Realms. You destroyed the only portal you know of that's in Avalar. However, I don't believe you. So I'm going to ask you again, Dragon. How can I get to Avalar?"

"Fuck… you."

"Feisty even in death. Let's both hope your son has the same fire in him." The Sorceress lowered her scepter towards the dying Dragon and black lightning covered Ignitus. He was enveloped in pain all across his body, and this latest shock almost finished him off, but the Sorceress stopped before he could die.

"Quite remarkable you've lived this long. Dragons have always surprised me. They never seem to know when to die!" She hit him again with the dark lightning, and again Ignitus experienced the worst pain imaginable. It lasted for thirty seconds before the Sorceress stopped. Ignitus could barely breath, his skin was torched and burning in several places, it hurt to move. Both his wings were already broken before he was teleported to the Sorceress' castle. He was running out of time on this Earth.

"I'm starting to think you either truly don't know how to get back to Avalar, or are willing to die with in order to withhold the information from me. I've always hated martyrs. Well, let me leave you with this, Ignitus. I will find your brother, I will murder him and take his Power Gems, I will find the Dragon Realms, and when I finally meet your son once again, I'll be sure to let him know what I did to you."

Ignitus thought back to that vision he had of his son all those years ago, of how he smiled at him innocently and full of compassion. He knew that he could do this, accomplish what his uncle had failed at, and stop the Sorceress from ruling this world. The end of the Sorceress scepter pierced through Ignitus' chest and intercepted his heart. The sorceress stared in joy at the dead Dragon beneath her feet. It had been so long since she killed one.


	21. A Gnasty Friendship

Chapter 21: A Gnasty Friendship

CRASH and Spyro sat inside the castle in the Peace Keepers Realm once again, and after two hours of sharing stories, they both knew a lot about each other.

"I've never told anyone else about this. I only remembered it happening today. Ignitus meant so much to me growing up. How could I forget about it? How could I forget about him?" Spyro looked to the floor ashamed, Crash, meanwhile, stood up from his resting spot and approached the young dragon. He placed his hand on Spyro, and he looked up, not expecting the gesture.

"Wherever Ignitus is, whether he is alive or dead, he is your family. And family's look out for one another, no matter how grim or bad things get. From what I've heard, he risked his life getting you out of that town, and did so because he loved you as much as you love him. Though you may never see him again, honor the Dragon he was by showing that same courage he did and free you people. And once all the Dragons are free and Gnasty is taken care of, live your life by his example."

Spyro got up and blinked away a tear. Sparks golden color had also returned, to Crash and Spyro's surprise.

"Thanks Crash."

"It's what friends are for."

Crash and Spyro walked out of the castle again and made their way towards the portal they used to get here. Crash walked up to it, and felt Aku-Aku do "something" which activated the portal. Crash wasn't really sure how Aku-Aku did the things he does, he just always seemed to help Crash whenever he needed it most. He may have only known the man who crafted this talisman for a minute, but his magic had certainly been helpful all these years.

"This should take us to the Realm of the Gnorks, or at least the location from where the Gnorks had been teleporting from when we were in Artisans."

"I'm ready when you are, Crash. Gnasty's toast after I'm through with him."

They both walked through the portal and ended up on a pier surrounded by boats. There were Gnorks all over the place; loading cargo onto the ships, checking supplies on said ships, and several other's on the mainland. As soon as Crash and Spyro emerged from the portal, they knew they might have walked into a trap. Their presence immediately alarmed the Gnorks in the surrounding area, and soon enough every solider in the area was alerted that there were intruders present.

"We need to get out of here fast!" Spyro yelled as a group of armed Gnorks approached to apprehend them.

"We should head to higher ground in the forest." Crash responded.

"Hop on; I think I can fly us both out of here."

Crash spun into the first Gnork at the head of the group and sent him flying back into the others behind him. He then ran towards Spyro and mounted onto his back.

"Are you sure about this…" Crash said as Spyro vaulted into the air. Riding bareback wasn't practically exiting, since Crash was struggling to maintain his grip. The added weight of Crash didn't make things easier for Spyro.

"Will you quit fidgeting up there; you're throwing of my balance!"

Crash hung on for his life, as Spyro dodged a cannon fire coming from one of the ships.

"Fly lower and follow the coastline. Once we're clear of the Gnorks, we can find some cover and hide out in the forest." Spyro nosedived towards the ocean, and Crash almost fell off. It took a minute, but Crash and Spyro were able to get away from the shipyard. They were most likely being followed, but Spyro's pace was putting water between them and the search parties.

"That went well." Crash said as he tried to catch his breath.

"Why are you out of breath, I'm doing all the work." Sparx flew to the right of Spyro's passenger and glanced over at Crash.

"That… was… terrifying. If you can, fly higher so we're not spotted by anyone on the ground and we'll look for somewhere safe to land." Spyro flew to his left to get over land and raised his altitude.

"We need to get to Gnasty Gnork, which is probably in the direction we just came from."

"True, but it would be nice to have an element of surprise so where not overrun with Gnorks. We'll wait for a while and return to the shipyard on foot."

"Let's land over there."

"Okay."

Spyro descended into the woods and landed gently. Crash got off Spyro and woozily walked forward until he grabbed a tree for support.

"First time flying?" Spyro asked jokingly.

"On something living, yeah. We should do that again some time." Crash said somewhat sarcastically as he leaned against a tree.

Spyro laughed for a second before resting for a few. He could manage carrying Crash around, considering how small and light he was. But it defiantly took some effort. Maybe he'd get better at it given time. The thought of flying anyone around was an interesting concept. Spyro first thought it would be degrading having to lug someone around, but it was actually kind of fun. Like a challenge. Just then, Spyro heard Crash stomach growl and was reminded himself that he hadn't eaten in a while.

"I guess neither of us has eaten anything in a while" Spyro said.

"Well, when you live alone for as long as I have, you get pretty good at finding food."

"I never said I couldn't find anything to eat." Spyro responded competitively.

* * *

"What do you mean there's a Dragon here?" Gnasty asked concernedly. The spell the Sorceress showed him was supposed to entrap every Dragon in the Dragon Realms. He used the spell when he was supposed to, but he hasn't heard back from either Red or the Sorceress. This was a problem.

"A purple dragon appeared from the portal at the shipyard along with an orange creature about his same size."

"A 'creature' the same size as a Dragon?" Gnasty thought to himself. Any adult dragon would prove to be a challenge to a handful of Gnorks. However, the Sorceress had given him the advantage he needed to tackle any Dragon.

"Reports confirm that this is the same young Dragon that was seen in the Artisans Realm before he disappeared after entering the portal. All other search parties of Gnorks who are in the other four Dragon Realms have not reported any signs of living Dragons."

So this was an adolescent Dragon. The other creature's size made more sense. "What exactly is the other 'orange' creature you're talking about, sergeant?"

"I'm not entirely sure. None of us have ever seen anything like it. It isn't that tall, yet somehow it is able to defend itself from our soldiers quite easily. And the creature defiantly is working with the Dragon."

This ally of the young Dragon could be a problem. Gnasty had hatted Dragons all his life, and was now so close to finishing them off for good. And with the help of the Sorceress, he should have already accomplished his life's ambition. Red the Elder Dragon was able to drop the barrier that kept the Sorceress out of the Realm of the Gnorks. His people were a little concerned with having the creature that had confined them to this island all those centuries ago being welcomed here. But Gnasty was confident that he could strike a deal with her, especially after his conference with Red. Red said he no longer carried about Dragons, but instead sought to wield the same power as the Sorceress, and knew he could only drop his ancestor's barrier on this Realm without it being noticed. And up until now, his plan had been working perfectly. But one Dragon had escaped, and that was one too many.

* * *

Spyro and Crash met back at their camping spot in about thirty minutes. Crash had managed to scrounge up some wild berries and nuts; while Spyro had a whole doe lounged in his throat and flew back to the spot shortly after Crash had returned. The sight was quite grizzly, Spyro had caught the deer and clamped down on its throat to stop it from breathing, and then flew it back here. The blood, the empty expression on the doe's face, and the limpness of the rest of its body was quite offsetting. Crash was reminded of just how powerful and dangerous his knew best friend was.

"Told you I could find something to eat" Spyro said gleefully. He used his front paws to slice open the deer's chest and abdomen and began to rip flesh and meat from within. He scorched the tissues with his flame breath before consuming each bite. The sight was gruesome.

"Oh, do you want some, Crash?" Spyro said with blood covering his face and front paws.

"I…" Crash gulped to keep from vomiting, "I don't eat meat."

"Suit yourself." Spyro continued to devour the dead animal, and Crash backed away and stood a ways back to avoid seeing but still hearing Spyro consume his prey.

Once he finished, Crash asked if they could move away from Spyro's dinner to avoid the flies that were sure to come. Spyro agreed, and they moved a distance away before stopping. The sun had set and they were left in the dark. Crash and Spyro set up a small fire pit before Spyro lighted it. The temperature had dropped to a cold chill.

"In the morning, we're heading back" Spyro said.

"Alright."

Crash began to ask Spyro about his life here to pass the time before they both went to sleep. The subject shifted to his friends.

"Well, I know almost all the Dragons of my birth class. Although I'd have to say my three best friends are Flame, Ember, and Cynder."

"Was there any particular reason Cynder was with you when you were trying to capture me yesterday?"

"Well, she was with me because we both were spying on the Council of Elders meeting before you 'crashed' it."

"Very funny. And you said that her friendship with you was different than that of your other friends. That she was as strong willed and independent as you were."

"Wait, I never told you that!"

"You didn't? Oh, that's what you said to Cynder while I was unconscious."

"So you heard that entire conversation, then?" Spyro said blushing.

"Yeah." Crash thought back to some of the moments he had with Tawna before she died. And for once, he could focus on the good moments. "You were being fairly honest with her. Must have taken a lot of courage to say stuff like that to someone you have feelings for."

Spyro was about to correct Crash for saying he had feelings for here but stopped. Was he right? Crash spotted a worm near his leg and grabbed it. He tossed it towards Sparks, and he happily began to eat the unfortunate worm. Spyro looked at his best friend, and then looked at Crash. Crash had kept saying that they were friends, but now Spyro knew that it was true. They soon fell asleep close to the fire to keep warm.


	22. Wedding Crashers

Chapter 22: Wedding Crashers

COCO and Crunch stood facing each other, holding each other's hand as the tribe priest married them in holy matrimony. Crash was in the front row, watching his adopted sitter begin her new life. It was a confusing time for Crash; he wasn't sure whether he should be happy or sad. But Crunch did love Coco; he has made her so happy since they started seeing each other. He was perfect for her, and could be the husband Crash could never be. Crash sighed as the ceremony continued.

"I will always love you" Kawabata whispered to Coco.

"And I will always love you" Coco whispered back.

They kissed, and the small congregation of Budakan's clapped and cheered once they finished. It was only when every stopped clapping but one person did everyone finally notice who was standing way in the back. Crash turned to see who kept clapping, and stared in disbelief.

"Oh my god." Coco could see him, but still couldn't believe it. It had been two years, but he was standing right there, perfectly healthy and in attendance at her wedding. Niko stopped clapping stared at his sister with a huge smile on his face. Coco left her husband's side and walked towards her brother.

"How… Niko I…"

"You thought I'd miss my own sister's wedding."

Crash got up from his seat and walked toward Niko as well, everyone in the crowd was astonished. He has been gone for two years, presumably dead in the fire two years ago. Where was he this whole time?

Coco went to embrace her brother tears streaming down her face, but he put his arm up to stop her from hugging him. The smile disappeared from his face, he raised his right hand, pressed his right index finger to his temple, and he began to change. Skin changed to metal, his Budakan clothes altered to a white uniform, his face scared with cybernetics and no hair on the right side of his face. Coco took a step back after seeing what her brother had become.

"Yes Coco, Niko did die two years ago." His voice had changed too, now a hybrid of Crash's SAD and a twisted from of his old speech. "What I believed in, who I loved, who I was, all burned away in the fire! Now, I only have one purpose."

"Niko… what…"

N-Gin slapped Coco across the face and she flew back towards the chapel. Crunch ran towards Niko to protect his wife. His robotic hand collided with Niko's and the clank echoed loud and intensely. Crash could only watch.

"Each breath you barbarians take is an insult to my master." He twisted Crunch's robotic wrist, throwing his balance off and flung him backwards."

N-Gin walked forward, the crowd of Budakans was ready to attack, but a spotlight appeared over them, freezing them in place. It was Cortex's zeppelin (a new one) shining the light on the congregation; the light reflected of N-Gin armor.

"And then there's you, Crash. Cortex's original creation. Why he chose a rodent like you is beyond me, but who am I to second guess. After all, second chances are hard to come by. But I got one, and now I'm going to kill you because of it."

Cortex descended from his zeppelin and appeared hovering over his two creations.

"I see you've met my new right hand man, Crash. Though I was hesitant to allow a Budakan to join my ranks, he was such a mess when I found him. I couldn't help but take pity on the young boy. I saved his life, you know. And now he's as loyal as can be. Who knows, if I could have cured Tawna all those years ago, maybe you wouldn't have defected. All well, I guess I just needed practice."

What did Cortex mean by fix Tawna? Was that why he wanted to euthanize her; she was sick and he failed to cure her? Crash again was flooded with the memories of Tawna. N-Gin grabbed Crash by the neck and lifted him into the air.

"You are nothing but a failure, an error that must be rectified" Cortex shouted from his perched position. N-Gin's robotic hand began to tighten, and Crash dangled in the air and couldn't breathe. Crunch tackled N-Gin, causing him to let go of Crash. He fell to the ground and gasped for air.

Tiny Tiger and another mutant Crash didn't recognize emerged from the woods. The new mutant was wearing a pinstripe suit and carried a gun. He began to open fire on the crowd, and screams of pain and terror could be heard over the gunfire. N-Gin and Crunch began to go at it, and Crunch's size proved to be useful. Crash ran to Coco to see if she was still alive.

"Coco."

She began to come to, and looked at Crash.

"What happened to my brother?"

She slowly got up, and saw her brother and husband still going at it. N-Gin then stabbed Crunch in the chest and he collapsed to the ground. N-Gin shook his right arm to get the blood off.

"No! Niko, how could you!" Coco stood up, and Crash stayed beside her.

"Cause I wanted to, sis!" He raised his arm, and it transformed from a blade to an energy pistol similar to Cortex's. He fired a shot at Coco, but the energy beam was deflected by a green sphere that appeared around Coco and Crash.

"I see you still have that trinket protecting you," Cortex said still hovering over the scene. "Well, let's just say we've come prepared to deal with your little party mask"

N-Gin's chest opened to reveal a Purple Power Gem hidden within. He grabbed it and focused. A dark aura formed around him and he then looked at his sister and adopted brother and smiled. He raised his left, still human, arm at the two of them, and dark lighting soon enveloped Coco and Crash. It was the most agonizing pain they had ever felt once the energy broke through Aku-Aku's shield.

"N-Tropy's research into the Power Gems came quite in handy. What he observed, creatures of the past harnessing this energy and ruling the world with it, was just the motivation I needed to find and collect them. Oh you haven't met him Crash, but he's partially responsible for your creation, you know. He was an old acquaintance of mine who was obsessed with the space time continuum. I though he was a nut case until he developed a device that allowed him to see backwards in time. He couldn't actually travel through time; he needed a different power source. That's when I told him of the Power Gems, and our acquaintance became a partnership. Why am I telling you all this, you may be thinking? Well, although you're a failed, rejected specimen, I still consider you part of the family. And you've proven to be quite the adversary in the past; though I've replaced you with your brother here. And I don't like loose ends. N-Gin, finish them off for me."

"Why of course, master." N-Gin willed the Power Gems to finish off Crash and Coco, and the pain they were in exponentiated until N-Gin flew backwards after he was hit with an energy blast from out of nowhere.

"What the hell was that?" Cortex said in confusion.

Dr. Nitrous Brio stood at the other side of the forest with a blaster in his arms. He was followed by two large mutated komodo dragons, Dingo-Dile, and a reformed Ripper Roo.

"You're not the only one who learns from his mistakes, Dr. Cortex. And I'm afraid I can't let you terrorize these people or use the Power Gems for you own malicious purposes, anymore."

"Oh, if it isn't the other defector" Cortex said rather annoyed. N-Gin slowly got up from the ground and reached for his Power Gem. "I see you created another Evolve-O Ray. Haven't you created enough monsters, N Brio? I thought you grew a conscience."

"No, I've just been shown the error of my ways, old friend. Dingo, Ripper, we need to get Crash and Coco out of here, leave Dr. Cortex to me. The more help we have, the better chance we have of shutting down Dr. Nefarious Tropy's Time machine."

"You made me Brio, why are you betraying me and my master!" N-Gin said in a rage.

"I saved your life, Niko. It was Cortex that made you who you are."

"That's not my name!" N-Gin fired more plasma attacks from his robotic arm towards N Brio. Brio than reached for a Power Gem from Ripper Roo and used it to form a barrier around him and the other mutants.

Auras of blinding energy formed around N-Gin and N Brio as they summoned forth energy from their Power Gems. The air around them began to crackle and darken as the energy pooled out of the Gems and become the will of its wielders. The resulting attack between the two sent out a shockwave that cause everyone within the area to be flown back.

"Moe and Joe, get Crash and Coco, where leaving now." The Komodo brothers took off and grabbed the marsupial and the newly wed.

"Wait, I'm not leaving without Kawabata."

Crash helped Moe carry a bleeding Crunch, and N Brio lead his team to their escape plane.

"I'll never understand Cortex's obsession with zeppelins." N Brio said as they were running through the jungle.

Crash was hesitant following N Brio. He didn't know him as well as Cortex, but he is the man responsible for almost all of Cortex's mutants. Has he really had a change of heart? Everyone boarded the plane, and it took off at a remarkable speed.

Moe and Dingo-Dile placed Crush onto a table and N Brio went to work treating his wound.

"We can't just leave Budaka! My entire tribe is at the mercy of that basted Cortex" Coco pleaded.

"Don't worry about the Budakans. Cortex may seem like a sadist, but his main focus is the Power Gems, and I have one. He only indulges in collateral damage if it's part of his mission." N Brio responded as he continued to treat her husband.

Crash stared at Dingo-Dile in mistrust. He was mainly responsible for the burning of Budakan.

"Aye, I see you finally noticed that I'm alive, mate. After you thrashed me, I was brought back to Cortex's space station and received some of his top notch care. Look, I… hope there are no hard feelings between us. I heard what happened to your girlfriend. A shame. I know I've done some evil in my time, responsible for a lot of Budakan's deaths, too. Can't change the past, but I can change my future."

"We mutants did ask to be created," Ripper Roo interjected, "but if we have free will, then we have the choice to do good."

"Cortex is now onto his endgame, Crash." N Brio continued. What he mentioned about N Tropy is true. He has learned of the true power of these Gems, and plans to go back in time to the moment they were created. There is a Time Twister device that he plans to use to do so, and he only needs three Gems to make it work. I know you've suffered; I know Cortex has hurt you, which is why I'm asking you to help me finish this. Make it so he can't hurt anyone ever again."

Crash thought about it. For too long he has reacted to Cortex. Now he has the chance to act. Crash walked up to N Brio and shook his hand.


	23. Confronting Gnasty Gnork

Chapter 23: Confronting Gnasty Gnork

SPYRO and Crash flew towards a large castle which bordered Gnork Harbor. Earlier this morning, they followed a truck which had departed from Twilight Harbor, the shipyard they entered Gnasty's Realm from, and commandeered the car once it departed from the bay. Crash dropped from Spyro's back onto the truck and removed the surprised Gnork driving the car from it. Both he and Spyro used that car to travel through the Realm of the Gnorks inconspicuously. Most of the technology here was new to Spyro, so Crash explained most of it the best he could. They found a map in the glove compartment of the truck they were driving and used it to locate Gnasty's Castle. Aku-Aku began to inform Crash that they were getting closer to the source of entrapment spell. A short moment after that, the truck was ambushed by Gnorks. There cover was blown, but fending of the Gnorks didn't prove to be a challenge. Crash and Spyro flew the rest of the way, and soon approached Gnasty's fortress.

"This is it; Aku-Aku feels that the source of the entrapment spell is inside this castle." Crash told Spyro with is SAD as they landed a couple yards from the entrance.

"Gnasty most likely knows we're here. Are we really just going to knock on the front door?"

"Well, the way I see it, our priority will be to interrupt the Crystal Spell Gnasty is using. However, it seems as if the origin point of the spell is emanating from a living being, presumable Gnasty himself. So… we need to stop the spell I guess by defeating Gnasty, and deal with the other Gnorks in the castle."

"About Gnasty Gnork" Spyro said nervously. "The Elders said in their Council Meeting that Gnasty Gnork was never magically inclined, and that it is the Sorceress who has been aiding his assault on us Dragons. So there's a possibility she is here, and if so, she most likely will be too much for the both of us. I mean… she's been alive for over a thousand years, and banished my entire race to the Five Realms we live in now."

"The same person from your dream yesterday? You said she harnesses the power of the Gems, right?"

"Yes, she does exceptionally, according to the Elders."

Crash new all too well what Power Gems could do.

"It's because of those power gems that I was brought to the past you know. They were used as the power source for the machine that brought me here."

"Even a hundred thousand years into the future and those rocks are still causing problems."

"There also partially responsible for how Dr. Cortex created me. Also, when Aku-Aku was alive, he used the power gems to benefit his tribe. And it also sounded like you wielded the power of the Gems once when you were younger, too."

Spyro didn't particularly focus on that moment of his dream, when he unwillingly attacked the Sorceress to protect Ignitus, but how else was he able to do so without using the Power Gems?

"What are you getting at, Crash?"

"I'm saying you can do this, no matter the odds."

"You're damn right I can."

"Good, fly to the top of the castle and try to find Gnasty without drawing attention to yourself. I'm going to enter through the front and try to cause a distraction, making my way up to the top as I do. Once you find Gnasty… do what you have to."

"I will. And good luck, Crash."

Crash gave Spyro a "thumbs up" sign and made his way to the Castle, which Spyro looked at confusedly before laughing at the gestor. Spyro still didn't know what that sign meant. "And what was up with Crash's hands? They looked so much different than mine" Spyro thought. Crash was spotted entering the castle, but was able to get inside and deal with his pursuers. Spyro and Sparks took off and made their way to the top of the castle, entering through an unobstructed window. He made his way down the building, not entirely sure where Gnasty could be, but searched diligently, nonetheless. If Spyro knew his Dragon architecture, the throne room should be somewhere down this hall. It's strange just how similar this castle was to the one in the Peace Keepers Realm, and the other Castles in each of the other three Dragon Realms. Spyro came to a stop in front of a large door. He nudged it open and walked inside. This defiantly was the throne room, but Gnasty was nowhere in sight.

"Where is that ugly Gnork?" Spyro said to himself. Suddenly, the floor collapsed from underneath him and Spyro fell a couple of feet before hovering over the hole in the floor. Gnasty appeared below and chucked a large stone bolder at Spyro. It made contact, and sent Spyro plummeting the rest of the way to the ground. Spyro got up in pain from the collision, and stared at Gnasty. Something was off about him, he looked very different from other Gnorks. He was too tall, his skin was a dark Green, and he wore gold armor and carried a large golden club.

"Welcome, young Dragon, to the Realm of the Gnorks, the hellhole where all Gnorks reside. I see you've come to free all Dragons from their Crystal prisons. Your quest ends here, dead, as will all other Dragons."

"Keep dreaming ugly! I will make you pay for what you've done."

"What I've done is seek retribution for my people, and freed them from the oppression of Dragons. Gnork's will no longer be subordinates your kind, cause they will all be dead!"

Gnasty pointed his club at Spyro, and a beam flew out towards him. Spyro narrowly dogged it, and the rock it struck transformed to crystal. It hurt to move, for Spyro was injured after being struck with the massive rock. Gnasty ran towards Spyro and slammed his spiked mallet at Spyro, but Spyro took to the air to avoid it and unleashed a torrent of flames at the Gnork. Gnasty took his large hand, ignored the fire, and grabbed Spyro while he was still in the air. He crushed the helpless Dragon in his hand, before throwing him as hard as he could at the ground in front of him.

"I don't know how you evaded the Sorceress' Spell, but you're definitely too young and too weak to be a challenge. It's a shame that the Sorceress isn't here. I'd bet she'd enjoy seeing your entrails and blood squirt in all directions once I crush you under my boot."

Spyro got up slowly and watched as Gnasty came closer. Sparks rushed to Spyro's aid, but was flung back to the wall once Gnasty clapped his two hands together, sending the light Dragonfly into the wall behind.

"Sparx!" Spyro shouted. Sparx did not get up from the ground.

"Aww, did I hurt your best friend. I'll be sure to exterminate the pest once I'm done with you."

Anger consumed Spyro; this beast was not going to hurt another one of Spyro's family or friends ever again. Spyro charged as fast as he physically could towards Gnasty, and he raised his club to crush the Dragon. Gnasty slammed the club down, but Spyro vaulted to the right to dodge the impact, and redirected himself towards Gnasty from his right. Spyro's horn's pierced though Gnasty armor and punctured Gnasty chest. He recoiled back from the attack, screaming in pain as he did so. Spyro got himself dislodged from Gnasty's chest and unleashed another torrent of flame upon Gnasty's face, blinding him and causing intense pain. But Gnasty was able to strike Spyro with his club, and one of the spikes tore through clean threw Spyro's left arm. The impact sent Spyro falling to the ground with a huge puncture in his arm and made Spyro cringe and scream in agony. Gnasty had his left hand covering his face to do something to sooth the pain. He yelled out in anger as he slowly regained his vision.

"Damn you! Damn all Dragons to hell!" Gnasty charged at Spyro, and Spyro struggled to make a move. He flew up to avoid Gnasty's rage, and then barely avoided a laser beam from Gnasty's club. At this rate, Spyro wasn't going to make it much longer. But Spyro anger kept him motivated. It scorched inside of him, an inferno that spurred him to continue. He breathed in deeply, and unleashed a downpour of fire onto Gnasty below. Gnasty was engulfed in Spyro's vastest and fiercest flame. Spyro then nose dived horns first and slammed into Gnasty's chest again, breaking his armor and causing him to let go of his club. Gnasty fell back and toppled to the ground, while Spyro took to the air again and landed a few feet in front of Gnasty. Spyro must have pierced one of Gnasty's lungs, for he struggled to breathe, while also being covered in serious burns. He couldn't get up, and Spyro also struggled to move. He was exhausted, loosing blood, and felt excruciating pain throughout his body. Gnasty began to morph, his size diminished and his skin became a lighter shade of green, similar to most Gnorks. His borrowed power had left him.

"You… think you've… won, Dragon? We… Gnorks will… never kneel to… Dragons…" Gnasty couldn't breathe enough to complete his sentences. He was dying too quickly.

"Yeah, will this is what happens when you attack a Dragon, you get burned. What you've done to us has left you in this state."

Spyro struggled to maintain consciousness. Though he didn't sound it, Spyro was close to passing out, possibly bleeding out, and Sparks couldn't help him. He collapsed to the ground and struggled to stay awake. Gnasty flipped over and grabbed his club. Given his current condition and lose of power, he struggled mightily to lift the club, but did so and crawled towards Spyro.

"With my dying… breathe, I kill the last Dragon."

Spyro started crawling back, but not fast enough. It hurt too much just to move. Spyro tried his flame breath, but he couldn't manage. He tried to stand up, but couldn't do so with because of his left leg.

Crash dropped in from the throne room and approached Gnasty. Gnasty looked at the orange creature and froze. He was about half of Gnasty's current size, but was perfectly able to deal with Gnasty in his current condition.

"Gnasty," Crash spoke using his SAD, "your magic received from the Sorceress has left you, along with the entrapment spell you used on all the Dragons. They're now free and are most likely dealing with your forces. You've lost."

"Im… impossible" Gnasty uttered as he collapsed to the ground and dropped his club. Crash walked past him and went over to Spyro.

"Where's Sparks?"

"He's over there next to that wall. He better be alive."

Crash walked over to where Spyro had pointed and picked up Sparks with his hands. Sparks wasn't emitting light, which was troubling. Crash felt Aku-Aku assess the Dragonfly.

"Sparx is alive," Crash reassured Spyro, "but he won't be up and active for a while."

"You haven't… won yet… Dragon" Gnasty said almost inaudibly. "The Sorceress… will kill… you."

"I'm looking forward to it, ugly." Spyro responded as he struggled to stand up.

"Come on, let's get out of here." Crash said using his SAD as he approached Spyro with Sparks still in his hands.

"But what about Gnasty?"

"I'm more concerned about you. There are hot air balloons near the back of this castle. We can use one to get to Twilight Harbor and enter the portal there to get back to Artisans."

"But…"

Crash lifted Spyro onto his shoulders, and then gently grabbed Spark's wing and carried the two of them to a back exit of the arena. Crash struggled to get them up the stairs, and then did the best he could to transport the two wounded friends without being spotted by other Gnorks. A trail of blood followed Crash, which dripped from Spyro's left arm. Crash finally made it outside and placed Spyro into the basked of a balloon and climbed aboard himself. He placed Sparks next to Spyro and started the steam engine. Spyro hadn't said anything in a while.

"Spyro, Spyro…" Crash said using his own voice as he nudged Spyro on his right shoulder. "Come on Sparx, Spyro needs you" Crash thought to himself as he looked over at Sparx. The balloon began to rise, just as a group of Gnorks appeared on the yard below. Crash had planned on using the balloon as an escape option once he spotted them, and had sabotaged all but one just in case Gnorks were aware he and Spyro planed on using one to escape and attempted to follow them. Crash checked Spyro for a pulse, and just barely felt one. He must have lost a lot of blood and now his blood pressure was too low. Sparx also remained out of commission, unable to heal his Spyro. Crash was going to lose another friend.


	24. Time Twisting Machine

Chapter 24: Time Twisting Machine

IT had been two days since Coco's wedding, Crunch hade made a full recover from his injury, though a scar would remain on his stomach for a long time. N Brio had told Crash of his plans to infiltrate N Tropy's Time Twisting Machine and shut it down before Cortex could use it. Crash could tell that their strategy was very risky and very likely could fail. Dr. Cortex has had a while with six of the Power Gems to use his time machine whenever he wanted, but N Brio knew that he and N Tropy were still determining the exact time in which the Gems were created. Cortex had a suspicion, though, that the Gems could be older than Earth itself, so he also planned to travel to the time when all seven were first gathered together once he concluded how old the Gems actually were.

"But why exactly does Cortex need to travel back in time?" Crash asked with his SAD. "He just as easily could have all seven Gems now?"

"True," N Brio responded. "But Cortex still seeks knowledge on these Gems" N Brio held the Power Gem he had in his possession. "He wishes to consult the being who first had control of all seven Power Gems in the past. And if you're curious, the Gems themselves cannot traverse through time."

"What do you think Cortex could learn from a creature that powerful?"

"Well, Cortex has learned a lot about the power of the Gems, but has not been able to… interface with them. From the ancient texts Cortex has read and what he has observed from N Tropy's research into the past, the Power Gems are supposedly magical, and wielders of its magic can use it to turn their will into reality. Of course Cortex is skeptical of this, but is willing to believe in this if he can witness it for himself. Cortex has even recently hypothesized that these Gems may be the key to breaking through the trans-dimensional barrier, which will allow him to travel through the multiverse. This is why he needs to be stopped. He is playing with power he cannot hope to comprehend or control."

The people of Budakan had been using the power of their one Power Gem to aid their society for generations. Their witch Doctor, Aku-Aku, was the most adept at wielding their power. But what Cortex was planning to do was something else entirely. He was trying to play god with these gems.

* * *

Dr. Nefarious Tropy's life ambition was to understand the space time continuum. And when Dr. Cortex provided him with the means to complete this goal, he never could have been happier. The two, along with the now defunct Dr. Nitrous Brio had worked tirelessly to construct from his blueprints the world's first time machine. But when N Tropy held a Power Gem in his hands, he was struck with a vision. Although "vision" wouldn't be the words that N Tropy would use to describe this sensation. It was truth. He saw it, no felt the omniverse. He could sense time, and saw before him an orrery of worlds. A complete understanding of how it all worked. The knowledge subsided after the reverie ended, and he could only remember some small details of the event, but this insight profoundly changed him. He tried to explain what he saw to Cortex, and continued to fixate on his vision afterwards.

Cortex, though confused by N Tropy's delusional rant, had always had a sneaking suspicion about the multiverse concept. These Power Gems had been confirming the impossible as reality ever since he first held one at Madame Amberly's Academy. Why just rule one world, when there could be so many more to conquer. Poor Victor and Moirés, Cortex thought to himself.

* * *

N-Gin waited impatiently for his master's orders. He was still troubled by what Coco and Nitrous Brio had called him. "Niko" they had said. Neo Cortex had said that Coco was his sister and his enemy. The word sister didn't have any significance to N-Gin, though he did know what the word meant. The contradiction of having a sister as an enemy did concern him, though he wasn't going to question his master. But what did N Brio mean by "Cortex made you who you are?" N-Gin knew he couldn't trust his enemy, but that man was the first person he saw once he came to all those months ago. For months, N-Gin soaked in what his master was trying to accomplish with the Power Gems. He learned the inner workings of the science and technology used by Cortex and his subordinates. And then he learned of Cortex's mutations. Subject C1… caused him to have delusions. Who the hell was this creature, and why did he bewilder him so? He asked Cortex about it before they planned to kill the creature. Cortex responded by saying he was the reason why he almost died. And that now was the time for him to enact his revenge. He had gotten away because of N Brio. And for that, they both had to die.

* * *

It was back in Budakan where Cortex and his old minion would face off. Cortex, N-Gin, and his mutants never left the area once N Brio and his forces retreated. They used the captive Budakans as both a lure and as shields. They set up their time machine on the island and waited. N Tropy had miscalculated when he claimed they only needed three Power Gems; they did need all seven to make the jump back in time, so they required N Brio's Gem as well. Dr. Cortex had concluded with N Tropy's machine that could pier back in time that indeed the Power Gems were older than the Earth itself, and that Cortex's next logical move was to consult with the last creature who gathered and wielded all seven of the Power Gems centuries ago.

According to folk lore and ancient texts, the creature was only referred to as the Sorceress. The texts become weirder, for mythical Dragon creatures battled this Dinopotamus creature for possession of these gems but lost. The Sorceress then used the gems to grant herself immortality and rule almost the entire Earth. Again Cortex thought this was all fairytales except that he saw it with his own eyes thanks to Nefarious Tropy's device. Though it is potentially incredibly dangerous to "talk" with a creature this powerful, Cortex was sure he could negotiate with this being. He saw a Dragon named Red do the same thing he was about to do and that creature was supposed to be the Sorceress' sworn enemy. Though something obvious stood out from this story: if the Sorceress was immortal, why wasn't she still alive? What Cortex observed was a vicious confrontation between the Sorceress and a purple Dragon. They both seemed to be emanating a similar auras from their bodies during this confrontation, a dark aura. The Sorceress lost, and that Dragon became the next wielder of all the Power Gems. Cortex pondered on whether he should negotiate with the Sorceress or the purple Dragon, but a review of that Dragon's life showed that he was a "hero," not what Cortex was looking for. Although, the tragedies that occurred to that young Dragon before his final confrontation with the Sorceress certainly changed him afterwards. But Cortex didn't care about that. Now, he was going to make his own destiny.

* * *

_"You die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villain." Malefor said to his nephew before their fight began. Dark Spyro lunged forward, intending to kill._

* * *

What else were they supposed to do? Apparently, nothing stopped Cortex from looking only several hours into the past and discovering where Crash and N-Brio were concealing the Power Gem they decided to hide before confronted the mad Doctor. N-Gin showed up with the their Power Gem while Cortex stalled with his big mouth. He smiled as he handed over the Power Gem to his master. All seven Power Gems were gathered, and they each began to emit light. Crash knew they had lost. Cortex outnumbered them and had hostages. N-Gin and the rest of his minions proceeded to attack Crash, Crunch, N Brio, and his minions who came to challenge the Doctor. Pinstripe began to gun down the captives to celebrate his master's success, and Cortex started his Time Twisting Machine. Crash and N-Gin went at it, and after about two minutes, N-Gin impaled Crash with his robotic hand and Crash tumbled to the ground. Coco could only watch in horror as red blood began to pool from Crash's stomach. Tiny and Crunch were locked in combat, with several parallel lines of red cuts all over Crunch's upper torso, wounds from Tiny's claws. The Komodo Brothers and N Brio lay dead, as N Tropy was able to deal with the traitor and his abominations using his weaponized suit he, Cortex, and N-Gin had collectively designed. Dingo Dile tried his best to defend Coco, but N-Gin was proving to be too much for him. Crash moments away from death, gripped Aku-Aku and blinked away a tear as he watched N-Gin confront his sister.

It is when a man is closet to death that magic flows most freely through him. The seven Power Gems lent their energy to the beckon call of Budakan's witch doctor, and his talisman began to glow brighter than it ever has; the four leaves that topped the artifact changed from autumn colors to golden yellow. Crash's wound began to heal, and his entire body began to emanate a furious golden yellow aura as well. He stood up from the ground, and stared at his adversaries with red, piercing eyes and a golden fire emanating from his body. Crash wasn't conscious to what was happening; he only knew he needed to act. Bullets from Pinstripes gun ricocheted of Crash making loud impact noise as they flew in several directions. N-Gin approached ready to kill his adversary but Crash spun him off. He walked toward Cortex and the spherical glistening portal that was about one and half times Crash's size and stood to confront his creator.

"What… what are you?" Cortex asked in fear as he faced his creation.

"I am a creation by the utmost of evil, yet was able to find my own path. It is for this reason that I stopped you Cortex, because I am incorruptible and pure." Crash said perfectly without using his SAD.

Cortex ran towards the portal to escape, but Crash grabbed him as he leapt for it, and threw him back. His body struck one of the Power Gems, removing its power from the machine. Crash's new found power subsided immediately as well, and the portal went into a state of flux. Crash felt as if he had just woken up from a dream, but had remembered everything that had just happened.

N Tropy's Time Twisting Machine became unstable once the power supply was interrupted. The destabilization of the time machine was not a good thing to happen at this moment, since the event horizon of the time warp had already materialized. Instead of the portal collapsing immediately; it spiraled and went into a state of flux. Beams of tunneling energy erratically flew out from the center of the wormhole. Both he and Coco attempted to diffuse the rift, but to no avail. He told Coco to evacuate the Time Twisting machine, but she wouldn't listen. Crash had to force her to leave, and even pushed her out the way of one rogue bolt of energy from the wormhole. Crash was struck by that same bolt, and then he ended up in the Realm of the Dragons. He wound up changing a young Dragon's life, altering his future from the grim one he had to something different. And then that young Dragon repaid him the favor a hundred thousand years later via a red notebook.

**End Part 1**


	25. Intermission

Intermission

ALRIGHT ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, welcome to the unofficial and most likely inaccurate halfway point of the _Crash and Spyro, A Friendship Across Lifetimes _story. If you've made it this far, I thank your continued support and interest in this story. I've had a blast writing it, considering I literally write each chapter, proofread it (my best, anyway), and submit it to Deviantart and fanfiction in the same day. I was majorly concerned with running into writer's block, catching myself into a pothole, or just becoming fatiguing with the story. But so far, so good (hopefully, that's primarily your opinion).

And before I forget, I've asked a Britton Roberts (can't really do hyperlinks in Fanfiction or past the link here, but you can find her channel fairly easily by searching for it) to illustrate a cover for this story. Her artwork is fantastic, and I highly recommend checking out her DeviantArt channel if you haven't already, especially if you're a huge fan of Crash and Spyro like I am. I'll certainly post a link to the cover here once it's complete, along with loading it to chapter 1.

Okay, first order of business; I need to take this time to explain a concept I've been exploiting in this story but haven't thoroughly explained to you. There are four distinct "eras" of time that will be present in this story, and they result from two timelines that occur after Crash's time travel. So far, you've completely read through one "quadrant" of the story, Crash's solo story that takes place around now. This era takes place one hundred thousand years after the second era of time in this story where Spyro has his solo adventure. Chapters 2, 4, 6, 14, most of chapter 17, 20, and a few snippets from chapter 24 fall under this timeframe. For part two of this story (from now on), I will alternate between what happens to Spyro without Crash ever being sent to his time and the third "era" of this story: Crash and Spyro's adventures together. There is also the forth era, but I'll wait to actually present that to you in the story (just think "red notebook" for now).

Next order of business, I'm going to elaborate on that strange delusion that Nefarious Tropy had, because it has the potential to cause some huge changes to this… omniverse I'm writing in. He mentions something called the "orrery of worlds." This is essentially the omniverse (the words are synonymous), and in this orrery consists of an unknown amount of individual universes, each of which are separated by a trans-dimensional "force" which keeps the universes mutually exclusive from one another. Basically there is no interaction between the universes, and Crash and Spyro are on an earth which resides in one universe in the orrery. However, N Tropy and Cortex hypothesize that the Power Gems have the ability to breach the barrier keeping worlds apart and allow them to travel through the multiverse, similar to the way they can use the gems to traverse time. If your mind is already jumping to conclusions about what this news means, that's good. All I'm going to tell you is that this "multiverse" stuff won't affect this particular story in the slightest. But it will come into play in the next story I'm planning to start after this one. Stay tuned for more info (and Britton Roberts, keep your mouth closed =])!

Lastly, I need to address some mistakes I've made in this story. Crash says he was in his era of time for four years before he was sent to the past, but the math doesn't add up. It's actually been around two years. This won't be too big of a problem to fix, but just know that I realized I screwed up on that detail. Also, towards the beginning of the story, I apparently couldn't make up my mind on whether the rocks I keep talking about are called Power Crystals or Power Gems. Well, there are only seven of these gems, and I decided to stick with Power Gems as their title, though the two names are interchangeable (I guess).

Thank you again for taking the time to read my fan fiction story about two awesome gaming characters with the most drastic alterations to their canon you may ever have read (probably not though, I mean, have you seen the artwork shipping this two). Part 2 of _Crash and Spyro, A Friendship Across Lifetimes_ is on the way! And here's to these two gaming icons getting proper games in 2016, so I don't have to write about them to keep them relevant.


	26. Recovering from Wounds

Chapter 25: Recovering from Wounds

SPYRO woke up confused, with a pounding headache, and numbness in his left arm. Around him, Cynder, Flame, Ember, and two Elder Dragons sat and watched as he finally came to. Spyro was trying to think of why he was here, and what had happened slowly came to his memory; the confrontation with Gnasty Gnork. He won, or at the minimum stopped his plan. Crash. Where was he? The last thing he could remember was being dragged out of Gnasty's castle, but he couldn't remember anything else. Sparks flew off Spyro's horn and landed on the opposite side of the bed and stared at him. His color was green, did that mean Sparx had healed him? That must have been it, for he could see the fatigue in Sparx's small face. He struggled to fly and was conserving energy. All the Dragons still stared at him as he finally pulled the covers off of his body and tried to stand up.

"Spyro!" Ember yelled as she came to embrace her love. "Whoa, take it easy, big guy. Just stay in bed and rest. You defiantly deserve it."

"I knew you were a show off, Spyro, but single handedly defeating Gnasty and freeing all the Dragons in the Dragon Realms. I guess all that prophetic stuff wasn't a bunch of hot air, after all."

Spyro hadn't done it all by himself, though. The two Elder Dragons who were gathered at the back of the room looked at Flame suspiciously regarding his last comment, and then approached Spyro. Cynder still kept her distance.

"Spyro, when you're feeling better, the Elders wish to speak with you." The blue Elder dragon said. They both departed afterwards, and Spyro was left alone with his three friends. Spyro again attempted to get out of his bed, but Ember again told him to rest. Spyro felt weak, but persisted on getting up.

"Where's Crash?" Spyro said concernedly. Ember and Flame looked at him in bewilderment.

"Crash? Spyro, what are you talking about?" Ember responded as she again tucked him in. How could she not know who he was? Both he and Spyro had saved every Dragon's life.

"Flame, Ember, Spyro and I need to talk alone for a moment."

"What for?" Flame asked somewhat annoyed. "What, you guys going to start planning more things to do together?"

Ember looked at Cynder. "Why do you need to talk to him privately? And why can't we be here?"

Cynder became annoyed and was about to let Flame and Ember hear a piece of mind, but Spyro interrupted her and got to his four feet, though his front left arm still felt numb.

"It's okay Flame and Ember. I have some question for Cynder that I think only she can answer."

"But Spyro…" Ember responded.

"It's okay, Ember" Spyro responded. "Now if you two don't mind."

"Whatever," Flame retorted, "come on Ember, let's leave Spyro and his girlfriend alone. I'm sure they just want some alone time to make out."

Ember looked at Flame concernedly as they both walked out. Though Ember was sure that Flame was only being sarcastic, she still was worried in the back of her mind that Flame was right.

"Alright Cynder, where is Crash and why doesn't anyone seem to know who he is?" Spyro questioned Cynder as soon as Flame and Ember left his room.

"Look, Crash was still concerned about the other Dragons trying to capture him. So when you two arrived in Artisans in the middle of the night, he brought you here and found me. He told me to tell you to meet him at the beach if you made it. As far as the rest of Artisans is concerned, I found you at the Artisans' portal and brought you here. You didn't have a pulse when Spark finally came to. I thought you had died." Cynder actually showed a little emotion and it could be heard in her speech. "But somehow Sparx brought you back, though he doesn't look so good himself." Sparx still rested on one of the support beams to Spyro's bed. He looked at Spyro with a tiny smile on his face.

"Crash is a hero, Cynder. He's saved my life twice in the past three days. He shouldn't have to hide from us." Spyro said somewhat angrily.

"Crash doesn't know if you're alive or not. I think you should go seem him when you're all better."

Cynder's comment calmed him down. "Alright, let's go."

"Are you sure, you still don't seem like you're a hundred percent."

"I'll manage. Come on Sparx."

Sparx flew from his resting spot and landed on Spyro's back. Spyro opened his window, and both he and Cynder flew out and made their way to the beach.

"Hey! Where are they going?" Ember shrieked once she saw Spyro and Cynder flying in the air.

"Probably to a secluded spot so they can have some alone time" Flame said to add to Ember's concern.

"Shut up, Flame!" She yelled back irately. "Should we follow them?"

"And have Cynder yell at me? Pass, though you can go spy on them if you want, make sure nothing serious happens between them."

Ember looked at the floor. 

* * *

Crash sat alone on his beach lost in thought. All the alone time really reminded him that he was trapped in the past. For the first couple of hours after dropping Spyro off into Cynder's care, all he could think about was Spyro. He had flatlined when they had got to the portal. He carried him off the blimp and walked through the portal in Twilight Harbor (fortunately, no Gnorks had spotted or followed them. Crash had used his jeans to wrap Spyro's left arm to keep pressure on it and stop the blood loss (it wasn't the most sanitary option, but it was all he had) His jeans were drying on a branch after he had rinsed them in the ocean. Once he put his jeans back on, he thought back to the day Niko and Coco had given him this pair of jeans. From that point on, all he could think of was Budakan. After several hours of reminiscing, he grew hungry, so picked a few wumpa fruit from a nearby tree. It was a good thing this fruit existed even this far back in time, Crash wasn't sure what he would have eaten if it wasn't for this abundant fruit.

It was around half an hour from sunset when he heard flapping noises from a distance. Spyro he though. It took several hours, but Crash finally came to except that he was going to have to live out the rest of his life here in this time. Like Tawna, Coco, and Niko, loosing someone always made Crash consider just ending it. It was hard, he considered trying it again, but for a third time he was stopped, this time by Spyro. Crash wiped a tear from his eye and walked towards Spyro once he and Cynder landed on the beach.

Before Spyro could talk, Crash approached him and hugged him (or his neck, the positioning was a little weird). The gesture was a little awkward for Spyro. No one had ever "hugged" him before. But Spyro tried to return the gesture as best he could. Cynder looked in confusion, as well.

Crash let go and took a step back. "Glad to see you're alive Spyro. For a moment, I thought I lost the only friend I had left in the world" Crash said with his SAD.

What Crash said made Spyro think for a moment. Crash was from the future and had been abruptly brought here. He really was the only fiend he had. "Well, thank you for your help, Crash. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be alive."

Crash paused for an uncomfortable amount of time with a saddened look on his face. He finally broke the silence a minute later. "I think you have Sparx mostly to thank for that. Remember when I told you I don't like using my SAD. I may have only known you for three days Spyro, but I think you're the person I've spoken to the most." Crash turned and looked at the horizon. It was a beautiful day outside. "I told you about Tawna and Coco, right Spyro?"

Cynder looked at Spyro, and he responded after a couple of second. "Yeah, Tawna was your first love. She was pregnant with your unborn child before she died. And Coco was the 'human' who found you after she died." He only repeated what Crash had said to keep Cynder out of the dark.

"When Tawna died, it was the one of the most painful moments in my life. I buried… will bury her over there by that palm tree." Crash paused and pointed to a lone palm tree closest to the ocean. Spyro and Cynder looked over at where Spyro was pointed. They weren't sure where Crash was going with this story, but listened anyway. Crash breathed in deeply and sighed before he continued.

"I… was going to kill myself after she died. I… couldn't deal living after losing her. She meant everything to me, considering I was only five months old at the time. It was Coco that stopped me. Coco never found out, but when she found me on the beach on that rainy night that Tawna died, she had stopped me moments before I was going to do it." Spyro and Cynder could only listen in disbelief. Suicide… Cynder, who had kept herself distant from most people, began to feel sorry for this hero who had saved Spyro's life. She had thought of it a couple of times to herself, but she had never actually loved someone that much. And seeing someone who had lost someone that special to themselves was hard for her to listen to. Spyro was more aware of the tragedies in Crash's life, since Crash and told him of most of his life in the future when they both were in the Peace Keepers Realm. But this was the first time he had heard of this. He could only imagine what it was like to lose a child and your wife.

"Though I could never admit it until it was too late, I also loved Coco. And fate would have it that she again unknowingly stopped me from killing myself around a year later. You could say I have a problem, since I was considering doing it again before you arrived Spyro. I couldn't stand the thought of being alone again, since I've technically been alone all most of my life; the only mutant of my kind. If you died Spyro, I might have actually done it. And that scares me. So don't die Spyro… for me."

Spyro walked over to Crash, who was sitting on the shoreline. He sat next to him and put his hand on his shoulder, a gesture he learned from Crash. "I promise" Spyro said as Sparx landed on Crash's other shoulder. This "contact" stuff was a little new to Spyro, but it felt like the right thing to do at the time. Cynder joined them and also sat down at the beach. After about five minutes of silence, Cynder finally decided to talk.

"Crash, Spyro and I are going to explain to the Dragons tomorrow what you did for us and you will be free to live in Artisans if you want. You won't have to hide out here if you don't want to."

Crash looked over to his right at Spyro and Cynder. "Thanks Cynder, the decision's up to you, but it is okay with me the way things are right now. Spyro is the hero of the Dragon Realms, not me. I'm just glad he's alive."

Spyro was going to plead with Crash to reconsider, but after what Crash had just told him, he was only concerned about his wellbeing.

_The best and worst moments really do happen on this beach for Crash._


	27. Purple, Black, and Golden Gold

Chapter 26: Purple, Black, and Glowing Gold

"Both of you are senile!" Red yelled.

"Red, there is no need for insults." Titan said calmly.

"Well excuse me if I don't take an accusation from one of my fellow Elders that there is a traitor amongst us lightly!" Red replied back furiously.

"No one is being called a traitor, Red, now sit back down." Thomas said to Red.

"I am telling all of you that the barrier our ancestor's made is impenetrable, and therefore the Sorceress cannot be aiding Gnasty in his plans for conquest! Now I make a motion to this board to move forward with a preemptive strike against Gnasty's forces before they are ready to attack." Red yelled flamboyantly to the council.

Spyro and Cynder remained hidden on the wooden support beams towards the roof. Red's anger and passion was a disconcerting. "A preemptive strike against the Gnorks?" Spyro thought to himself. He wasn't sure why Red was acting so ostentatious, though it did sound like the Gnorks were preparing for war, which could make someone like him so cautious. However, the unsureness of the Elders about the Sorceress also made Spyro very nervous. He didn't know why, but every time one of the Elders mentioned her name, be had this feeling inside of him of dread and despair. It was hard to explain, and he felt very uncomfortable.

"I think I have to agree with you, Red" Titan said. "Magnus' inside source has made it very clear of the intent of the Gnorks. Why should we wait for an attack from them if we can neutralize the threat to our home worlds now?"

"I'll repeat myself again so that this gets through your head, Red" Astor interjected before Red could speak. "Magnus is almost sure that the Sorceress has been in the Realm of the Gnorks. Which means if we were to invade their realm, there's a real possibility that she is there waiting."

"I think I need to remind Astor and the rest of this council the reason why the Sorceress wants to invade the Dragon Realms" Red said to the entire council. "She seeks the Power Gems. She wishes to control their full power. But the Power Gems aren't in our possession anymore, isn't that right Thomas?"

Thomas looked away from Red, knowing where he was going with this.

"Your son Malefor stole the five Power Gems of the five Dragon Realms, murdering several Dragons in the process, and fled to Avalar to seek out the sixth. You had the chance to stop him, Thomas, but gave into your compassion, and it resulted in several Dragon's deaths. And now both of your sons are nowhere to be found in possession of the only reasons why the Sorceress is after us in the first place. Those gems were our only real weapon we had against the Sorceress, and despite my constant suggestions to learn how to use them, this council foolishly insisted that the Gems were not to be messed with. However, when Thomas had a purple Dragon for a son, all of a sudden you all put your faith in him to master the Gem's power. And look what happened? We blew our chance to defend ourselves from the Sorceress, and now all you four sit here and do nothing but blow hot air out of your mouths wondering how everything went to hell without doing a damn thing about it! Maybe the Sorceress has already been to the Realm of the Gnorks, and if she has been, we're already dead!"

Red reached for something in a bag he had brought with him and threw the object onto the center table. It was a wood carven neckless that had belonged to Thomas' son, Ignitus. Ignitus' wife had given that to him while she was pregnant with their son.

"You know what that is, right Thomas. It's the neckless Ignitus' wife gave to him while she was pregnant with their son Spyro."

Spyro suddenly inhaled with a pain in his heart and head, he started to remember something, but couldn't quite recall what it was. Cynder looked at Spyro worriedly. No Dragon ever knew who their parents were. The information must have been painful for Spyro to hear, considering what they had both just heard about Ignitus so far.

"Well," Red continued, "I went after Malefor and Ignitus after they left Artisans. And guess what Malefor did to your son, Ignitus? Murdered him in cold blood when he tried to stop him, something you didn't have the courage to do yourself."

_Red is lying about Ignitus' death._

"Malefor is trying to do by himself what our ancestor's failed at. He has six Power Gems and at one point must have confronted the Sorceress in the six years since he's had the Power Gems. And that means he was murdered by the Sorceress and she now has all seven Gems. I want you to know Thomas that it is your fault that all Dragons are on the verge of extinction!"

"Red that is enough!" Magnus yelled. "It is not Thomas' fault for the actions of the Sorceress."

"Maybe so, but I reserve the right to blame our ancestors and this council. Both feared the power of the Gems, and instead of using them, did nothing and suffered because of it. Let me ask you something, Titan. You said earlier that the barrier to the Dragon Realms was impenetrable, and that it must have taken an Elder Dragon to drop the barrier into the Gnork's Realm in order for her to get to their Realm. Do you think the Sorceress could just rip through the barrier if she had control of the seven Power Gems delivered to her by Thomas's son?"

Titan couldn't answer the question, even though he knew that the Sorceress most likely could if what Red was proposing was the truth.

"You know what; the Sorceress is probably in the Realm of the Gnorks right now, and is only waiting for the right opportunity to kill us all. Like a meeting of the biggest adversaries to the Sorceress' plans all gathered in one place! Oh look, just in time, too."

Magnus could sense the incoming danger. Outside the sky darkened and the wind had picked up. Magnus put all of his effort to create a shield to protect the Elders from the incoming magical attack. Red watched as Magnus put all of his effort into the spell that sheltered the Senate House from the lightning strikes outside that was converting every Dragon outside into crystalline statues. Red walked out of the building to everyone's surprise and headed towards Artisan's portal towards the front of the building. Magnus collapsed in exhaustion, and Thomas came to his aid, while Titan followed Red outside. Spyro and Cynder were both scared senseless, but fortunately for them, they too were spared the fate of the rest of Artisans. Thomas, Magnus, and Astor followed Titan and Red outside, and Spyro and Cynder followed once the room was clear. What the Dragons saw outside were Crystalline Dragons everywhere, along with an activated portal. The Sorceress appeared from the portal with her grand, golden scepter which contain the purple Power Gems as it's crown jewel. Spyro, upon seeing the Sorceress from a distance, was flooded with the memory of what happened to him when he was four years old. A tear streamed down his face once he remembered what had happened to his role model, who turned out to be his father.

"So this is the Realm of the Dragons?" The Sorceress proclaimed as she walked towards the Council of Elders, who were frozen in fear except for Red. "I've got to say, Red, your plan is working perfectly. I've finally found the Dragons, and have acquired a new Gnork army to finish of the resistance in Avalar. This defiantly is a good day. And the rest of you must be the Council of Elders. I normally reframe from doing my dirty work, but I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to kill the last remaining Dragons on this earth."

"Red, what does she mean by your plan?" Thomas asked, while staring frightenly at the immortal Sorceress.

"Alright council, I guess I have to come clean. And you can disregard most of what I said earlier, I was primarily stalling for time. For starters, Titan, it was I who dropped the barrier in the Realm of the Gnorks, like you suggested. And as for you Titan, it was the Sorceress who killed Ignitus, not Malefor. He ran off with his tail in-between his legs once he realized he couldn't defeat the Sorceress six years ago, leaving his brother to die. But what can I say; the power of the Gems is something not to be trifled with. But I did tell one truth in our meeting; it is because of years of this council's ignorance that this moment has come. It could have been avoided, but years of complacency to do nothing have led to this moment, though you could say I was the final push to make it happen."

"You fucking, double crossing bastard!" Thomas shouted as the Sorceress approached him.

"Yep," the Sorceress interrupted, "the irony is quite profound: a Dragon causing the downfall of the Dragons. I believe you're the father of Malefor, am I correct? He's quite the adversary, though too much of a coward to truly wield the power of the six Gems he's currently hiding from me. And then theirs your grandson, who I think I see behind that door over there." Spyro ducked his head behind cover again, but it was too late. "Oh yes, that is little purple Dragon who I saw in that town in Avalar six years ago. Oh his father tried his best to conceal that little Dragon's location from me, even after hours of torture. So noble of his father, too bad I had to stab him right in the chest."

Thomas looked at the Sorceress and Red in abhorrence, while Spyro could only continue to let the tears flow. Cynder was frozen in fear.

"I promised Ignitus before he died that I would tell that young Dragon what happened to his father before I murdered him. Well it looks like the time has come."

Thomas lunged at the Sorceress, but several green lines formed around her, deflecting Thomas's claws and causing sparks to form from the contact. The Sorceress waved her scepter, and dark lightning came out of the Power Gem and struck Thomas, sending him back into the Senate Building, striking the exterior violently. Astor unleashed a torrent of blue flames at the Sorceress, but the attack also had no effect. The Sorceress waved her scepter again, and large blue projectiles flew out towards the rest of the Elder Dragons, causing series pain once the hundreds of projectiles struck each of the Elders trying to flee from the attack. The three remaining Elders collapsed to the Ground, struggling to get back up. Spyro went to help Thomas, who couldn't care why he was here or not crystalized, but instead needed to find a way to save his grandson. Cynder charged at the Sorceress valiantly but was attacked by Red, who sent her careening into the fountain marking the center of town.

"Pathetic. I know you Dragons are old, but is this really all you got! I guess… umm… Spyro's the only one left."

The Sorceress approached the young Purple Dragon, ready to kill the one prophesized to end her reign of terror. Sparks flew to accompany Spyro, and the Sorceress froze. "That golden glow" she thought to herself. She knew what it meant; it was the mark of a creature that could harness the power of the Power Gems in their entirety.

"Listen Spyro, I'm going to activate the portal behind the Sorceress, and when I do, you need to run through it and get out of here. You're… you're our last hope."

Spyro thought back to his memory in Avalar, Ignitus had commanded him to flee as well and the Sorceress had killed him… his best friend… his father. No, he could abandon his family again.

"Hey Sorceress!" Spyro yelled as he walked towards the Sorceress with Sparx following close behind. "You… took my father away from me, and you're going to pay!"

Thomas knew that Spyro now remembered the tragic event that occurred when he followed his father to Avalar six years ago. He had suppressed the memory from Spryo, to spare him from the trauma that would ensue. He planned on telling Spyro of what happened once he had grown older, or at least what Thomas knew himself. It was hard to tell what had happened to his two sons once they disappeared in Avalar. Though now he knew for sure.

"No Spyro!" Thomas shouted in pain as his grandson confronted the Sorceress. Cynder approached Spyro and stood by his side, ready to confront certain death.

"Sparx!" Thomas shouted as he got to his feet. Sparx was the last dragonfly; the Sorceress had supposedly killed the rest of them. However, this Dragonfly was marked with the energy of the Power Gems once he survived his specie's extinction, though would die if he spent too much of his life energy trying to save Spyro's life. He was prophesized to be the reason why a Dragon could defeat the Sorceress. When Malefor was born, Sparx was supposed to be his guardian, but Sparx never bonded with him. It was only when Spyro was born thirty years later did Spyro become the guardian of a Dragon. He chose Spyro, waited for him, like if he knew a second purple Dragon would be born. "Get my grandson out of here!"

Spyro turned to face his best friend, and suddenly was lifted from his feet. The Sorceress watched what was happening, and panicked. "I destroyed the Dragonflies centuries ago" she muffled to herself. "It was one of the first things my first prophet told me to do". She unleashed a massive energy beam at Sparx and Spyro, but Sparx was able to take Spyro and dodge the attack, the blast destroyed the Senate Building, and Thomas had just barely gotten out of the way. Sparx and a reluctant Spyro then flew through the portal that Thomas had activated from a distance. Cynder followed Spyro once Titan had lunged at the Sorceress and Astor attacked Red, trying to by Sparx and Spyro enough time.

Sparx, Spyro, and Cynder had escaped, and Thomas closed the portal, making sure that the Sorceress couldn't follow. However, this sealed the remaining Elder's… reaming Dragon's fates.


	28. Loosing it All

Chapter 27: Loosing it All

SPYRO tumbled to the ground. Sparx had finally released him from his traction beam once both he and Sparx made it through the portal. Cynder appeared shortly afterwards. Spyro got up from the ground and ran as fast as he could to the portal, but it closed four feet in front of him.

"Nooooo!" Spyro yelled as loud as he could, with tears streaming down his face. It happened to him again, except this time he lost everything, not just his father. Again he was forced to flee from the Sorceress and again it cost him. He slumped over in anguish in front of the portal and began to weep. The Sorceress was going to kill every last Dragon, and he had a chance to stop it. And now it felt like he lost his father and grandfather in the same day as well. Sparx hovered above Spyro to console him, but Spyro lunged at him as soon as he got close enough, and he had to retreat from the rage of his best friend. "Sparx! How could you take me from Thomas! Why wouldn't you let me save him?" Sparx could only keep his distance from Spyro, while Cynder remained distant, feeling just as despondent as Spyro. She didn't know what to say. "Just get away from me Sparx. I… I don't want to see you ever again!" Sparx hesitated; he didn't know what to do. Spyro growled angrily at Sparx and unleashed a torrent of flame in his direction, Sparx retreated and flew off; he had failed.

Spyro panted for a few moments, before turning around to stare at the portal arc that brought him here. He continued to cry, not sure what to do next. Cynder approached after three minutes and remained beside Spyro. She could only think to herself that they were the only two Dragons left. After about an hour, the temperature and daylight were beginning to drop fast, and Cynder finally had the courage to talk to Spyro.

"Come on Spyro, let's… find some shelter." Spyro remained collapsed near the portal. He hadn't moved nor said a word since Cynder accompanied him. He looked up, dismayed and defeated in his appearance, his eyes were bloodshot and tear lines could still be scene against his purple skin.

"I can't, Cynder." He sniffled and looked at the portal once more.

"Spyro, we can't just stay here forever. And I can't look at that portal anymore."

"It's over Cynder. You know it as well as I do, every Dragon is dead; the Sorceress has won."

Cynder started to become angry. "It's not over, dammit! If you think you can defeat the Sorceress… if Sparx was wrong for dragging you out of harm's way, than do something other than wasting away here!"

Spyro was stunned by Cynder's shift in mood. He got up and faced her. "There's nothing left to fight for. Even if I could beat the Sorceress, she has already taken everything from me."

"So what! She murdered your father, grandfather, and everyone else you care about and you're just going to give up!"

Spyro couldn't respond to Cynder. He just looked at the ground.

"That bitch has ruled the world for millennia; she has caused nothing but terror, death, and destruction to the 'entire' world! And you want to know something else? I overheard four months ago at the council of Elder Dragons of them talking about you as the prophesized hero to defeat her. You were right about yourself Spyro. Don't let Thomas' sacrifice go in vain. He gave up his life still believing in you. Now don't prove him wrong!"

Spyro looked at Cynder again, the passion returning to him which was visible in his eyes. After a few moments, he responded:

"Alright Cynder, I will prove him right."

"Good, now let's get moving."

Nighttime was quickly approaching, and as Cynder and Spyro took to the air, they noticed that they were high in the mountains. They also noticed a group of lights which appeared to be a part of a town. "Civilization this high up" Spyro thought to himself. They both landed and startled a few mountain Goats that call this place home.

"Oh my, everyone, run!" one of the goats said as he and the others retired from the two Dragons.

"What is going on out there?" Someone said from the closet house to Spyro and Cynder's left. A kangaroo emerged from the house and gasped once she got a good look at the two creatures causing havoc in her Alp.

"Well I'll be darned!" the kangaroo said as she hopped towards the two. "I reckon you two be Dragons."

"Yeah" Spyro said softly. Sheila could tell that something was depressing the two right away.

"Well you two seem to be on the short side for Dragons, I guess you're adolescents then, although I've never actually seen one in real life before, only in pictures and stories. Dragons used to inhabit the entire world, and then they vanished. Poof."

"We don't need the history lesson." Cynder replied in a similar sadden tone as Spyro.

"Alrighty then, why don't you two join me in my hut and tell me what's bugging you so, and Billy," Sheila said to the goat that had ran in a panic earlier, "You don't have to be scared, these two won't hurt you."

"Okay Sheila" the goat sad somewhat nervously.

Cynder and Spyro entered Sheila's home and gathered around a table. Cynder lit her fire place for Sheila, and Spyro informed Sheila of what had happened to him and Cynder today.

"Wow… you're lucky to be alive. That dammed Sorceress. A thousand years and she finally conquered the Dragons. What's left for her to destroy?" Sheila looked at the two Dragons who were both sitting in melancholy. She changed the subject. "You mentioned a Dragonfly in your story; where is he? I'd love to see him, considering I also thought Dragonflies were all killed by the Sorceress, too." Spyro looked away from Sheila, he felt too guilty for driving Sparx away earlier. He hadn't known this about Sparx's species. He was the only one of his kind, too, and he really did save his life in Artisans. "How could I attack his best friend?" Spyro thought.

"We don't know where Sparx is right now" Cynder answered Sheila's question for Spyro.

"Oh. Well, don't be so glum sport" she said to Spyro while he still looked at the ground. "I also recall you mentioning all of the Dragons being entrapped by a magic spell that turned them into crystalline statues. Well, those Dragons are not actually dead. In fact, one of my dear friends actually knows of a way to reverse that spell."

Cynder and Spyro both snapped their heads towards Sheila ecstatically. "Really" they both said at the same time.

"Yes really. My friend, the Professor, has devised of a way to defend and reverse his laboratory and accompanying town from that spell, as well as cure those affected by that magic.

Spyro inhaled sharply after Sheila mentioned the Professor. It invoked that memory he had when he was four years old.

"What's wrong, Spyro?" Cynder asked concernedly.

"I… know who the Professor is" Spyro told Sheila. "He's a small, brown mole, right?"

"His is actually. You've been to Summer Falls, Spyro?"

"Once, he's… alive?"

"Last I checked. I can use the portal on the outskirts of town to visit him every so often and coordinate with the rest of the resistance in Avalar."

"What about a faun named… Elora?"

Sheila didn't respond immediately. "No, I'm afraid she died six years ago after the Sorceress unexpectedly ambushed her home."

Spyro thought back to when Malefor stole the gem the Professor had in his possession. He was the reason she died. "As a matter of fact, Malefor himself might actually still be alive" Spyro thought to himself.

"Spyro," Cynder said while he was in thought. "Were you in Summer Falls when you last saw your father Ignitus?"

"Yeah, and his brother Malefor was there, too. He might actually still be alive."

Cynder thought back to what Red had said about Malefor at the council of Elders meeting. "He most likely has the six other Power Gems, too."

"Power Gems, eh?" Sheila said as she walked back into the living room caring to cups of water in her small hands. "I remember the Professor saying something about a Power Gem he had in his possession that he lost after he met a young purple Dragon that I'm guessing is you. He said he was knocked unconscious, and then woke up to find his village in ruins, his dear friend Elora dead, and you nowhere to be found. It took him a while to recover from that event, but he still tries his best to use his knowledge to aid the Avalar Resistance against the Sorceress. We should go visit him tomorrow, if you're up to it?"

"Definitely." Spyro said confidently. He had his reason to fight again.


	29. A New Family

Chapter 28: A New Family

Thomas and Magnus welcomed Spyro into the Senate Building and asked him to sit down. They each then chose a seat. It was the next day after Spyro, Cynder, and Crash had been at the beach. Despite Spyro and Cynder saying they were willing to explain his situation to the Dragons of Artisans, Crash said he didn't really mind not being credited with helping save their lives.

"But what did these two Elders want with me?" Spyro thought. Thomas and Magnus had been at his bedside when he woke up yesterday, and they had said that the council wanted to speak with him once he was feeling one hundred percent. When Spyro and Cynder were spying on their last meeting, Crash had appeared via some sort of "bubble" and interrupted this meeting. "Was it possible they wanted to ask me about what I know of Crash?" Spyro thought to himself. "Then that would mean they knew Crash and I knew each other. And if they knew that, did they know I was spying on their last meeting?" Spyro was a little nervous once Thomas starting the meeting.

"Spyro, after what you've done for the Dragon community, Magnus and I first want to thank you for you valiant heroics. And, this council feels as if you are ready to know the answers to the questions you seek."

"Question's I seek?" Spyro thought. Defiantly not the direction he thought this meeting was going to go in. He had wondered a lot about himself as he was growing up, and mentioned his concerns to his friends Flame, Ember, and most recently Cynder. Spyro always felt different then his peers and the added focus of his teachers and mentors weren't helpful to alleviate his awkwardness. There was Sparx, the only Dragonfly Spyro has ever seen, and Spyro's skin color, the only purple Dragon in Artisans. There was the whole "Forgotten Realms" rumor that no one seemed to know anything about. And then there was his dream he had in the Peace Keepers Realm. It was so vivid, like it was a memory. Who was Ignitus, the other purple Dragon, and that strange looking creature with the scepter who destroyed that town he was in. "Summer Falls," Spyro thought the place was called. Where was he supposed to start, and would these Elder Dragons really answer all of his questions, or would they give him the run around. There was only one way to find out.

"I have a lot of questions, and they have been bothering me for a while. I've always had a sneaking suspicion about this, so I'll ask this question first. Why am I the only purple Dragon in Artisans, and why does it seem to mean something?"

The Elder Dragons looked at each other for a moment, and Thomas proceeded to answer the question.

"Purple represents the mark of a Dragon who can wield all forms of elemental and meta-physical magic. It is for this reason that you have received special attention during your lessons. It is a rare and unique ability to you Spyro."

Special, hugh. The answer didn't really shock Spyro, he had pretty much guessed this several months ago, but it was reassuring to finally here it from someone else. "All forms of elemental and meta-physical magic, what did that mean, though." Spyro thought. Ah well, Spyro had more pressing questions.

"Alright, next, why does Sparx follow me around and why is he the only Dragonfly in Artisans." Crash had told Spyro about Sparx when they had first met. Apparently Crash's talisman on his necklace, "Aku-Aku" knew about Sparx, so it couldn't hurt to see if the Elders also knew who Sparx was and why he followed Spyro around.

This question seemed to be a little more difficult for the Elder's to answer, since they took a little longer to answer this then with Spyro's first question. Thomas again answered.

"Sparx is the last Dragonfly alive. A special consummation between Dragonflies and Dragons has existed since the dawn of both species. However, Sparx remains as the only living Dragonfly, and he chose to be your Guardian because of your connection with elemental and meta-physical magic."

Sparx was the only Dragonfly alive? Spyro looked at Sparx, who, as usual, was hovering to his flank. It felt reassuring to know that their friendship wasn't accidental, but had purpose. Plus Sparx had brought him from the brink of death once and healed him another time. So there was that.

Spyro took a deep breath before asking his next question. He felt as if this question may not be answered, considering how secretive Spyro thought this group was, but they said they were going to answer any question he had, and he was going to test that theory.

"Okay. When I was traveling to Gnasty Gnork's realm, I had a dream in Peace Keeper's Realm. I was four years old, and followed a Dragon named Ignitus through Artisan's portal to a place known as Avalar. I meet some creatures other than Dragons, and their village was almost destroyed by another purple dragon and a creature known as the Sorceress. Was this a dream or reality?"

As Spyro expected, Thomas, was shaken by this question. Magnus looked at Thomas, then at Spyro. He answered this question instead of Thomas.

"It was not a dream, Spyro." Magnus looked at Thomas again, and then proceeded to answer Spyro's question. "Outside of the Realm of the Dragons rests a place known as Avalar, which is a vast area filled with an abundance of different creatures that call that place home. The place you visited is known as Summer Falls. Ignitus went to Summer Falls that night to confront his brother, the purple Dragon you saw in your dream. Like you, Malefor has a special connection to elemental magic. However, Malefor also sought to wield the raw power of seven Power Gems that grant its wielders incredible power. This power corrupted him, and he stopped at nothing to obtain those Gems, even if it meant killing innocent Dragons or other beings in his way. Malefor intended to confront and kill the Sorceress, the same creature you saw in your dream. The Sorceress millennia ago waged a war with us Dragons over possession of the Power Gems, and though she succeeded in driving the Dragons out of the Forgotten Realms, our ancestors were able to take six of her seven Power Gems away from her. But Malefor stole five of the gems in the five Dragon Realms and the sixth that was in Avalar and planned to kill the Sorceress with those gems and the one the Sorceress herself has. Thomas and I do not know what happened to Ignitus and Malefor after they went to Avalar, we only know that you followed them there and came back, with the portal on the other end destroyed. You couldn't remember this event because the memory was suppressed by me."

Spyro looked at the table before looking at both Thomas and Magnus somewhat angrily. "Ignitus was my best friend growing up. I wanted to be just like him, I wanted to go on adventures with him and explore the world with him. He meant everything to me growing up. I… loved him. And I had that taken away from me, both by the Sorceress and by you. I can only pray he's still alive, but I doubt it. Thanks for the knowledge Elders; I think I've heard enough, though."

Spyro got out of his chair and began to walk out of the Senate Building before Thomas stopped him.

"Spyro wait, there is something else I have to tell you." Thomas got out of his chair and walked toward Spyro. Spyro stopped, giving the Elder a chance to speak his mind. "Ignitus and Malefor… are my sons. And since they vanished six years ago, I haven't had had a family since. That's because Dragon customs have also kept this secret from you which I think you should know. Ignitus… is your father, Spyro. It's why he also loved you and most likely sacrificed himself to get you out of Summer Falls."

The news broke through Spyro's hardened exterior and he began to shed a tear. Ignitus was really his family, like Crash had said to him in the Peace Keeper's Realm. Could he have also known? "No", Spyro thought.

Thomas Knelt down in front of his grandson, with Magnus close behind. "Like my son, I have confidence that you will grow up to be the Dragon that finally defeats the Sorceress. I have all the faith in the world that you can do it, with Sparx accompanying you, and maybe with your new friend, too."

Spyro looked up at his grandfather with tears pooling in his eyes. He did know about Crash?

"I know that you didn't confront Gnasty Gnork alone; but had help from your new friend. Just know that I trust him as much as you trust him, though it may be hard to convince the rest of the Dragons."

"He is a hero, Thomas" Spyro responded. "He's saved my life twice, but doesn't even want the recognition or acceptance of Artisans. He's from the future, and he's told me all about his life there. So many tragic things have happened to him, yet he continues to fight for everyone but himself. It's… inspirational. Thank you for telling me about my father, Thomas."

"Your welcome, Spyro."

Thomas and Spyro hugged each other, the second time Spyro had ever been hugged. They both had tears in their eyes.


	30. The Dark Dragon Returns

Chapter 29: The Dark Dragon Returns

Sparx and a reluctant Spyro flew through the portal that Thomas had activated from a distance. Cynder followed Spyro once Titan had lunged at the Sorceress and Astor attacked Red, trying to by Sparx and Spyro enough time.

Sparx, Spyro, and Cynder had escaped, and Thomas closed the portal, making sure that the Sorceress couldn't follow. However, this sealed the remaining Elder's… reaming Dragon's fates.

The Sorceress used the gem in her scepter to trap Titan in the air and began strangling him, he dangled in the air, unable to breathe, while Red, emanating a dark aura similar to the Sorceress', send Astor flying backwards and crashing into the ground several yards away. He never got back up. Thomas slowly got up from in front of the Senate Building and wearily looked at the Sorceress, who gripped her fist closed, and a loud cracking sound could be heard from Titan's neck. The Sorceress lowered her arm and Titan collapsed to the ground. She then walked towards Thomas with a disgusted look on her face.

"Ugh! That's twice now that little Dragon has rabbited from me! But I suppose history does have a way of repeating itself. Instead of his father sacrificing himself, we've got… his grandfather filling the role this time around. Spyro has to be running out of family at this point."

"Sorceress," Red interrupted as the Sorceress confronted Thomas. "If you wish, I can trace where Thomas has sent Spyro to and we can follow him, all we need to do is finish off the Council of Elders and we can proceed."

"Ah, you're proving to be quite useful for a Dragon, Red. Hear that, Thomas, you failed. I guess today still might be my lucky day after all."

Magnus walked over defeated and stood next to Thomas, prepared to die next beside his best friend. Thomas could only look up to the sky, knowing this was the end. For months the Elder Dragons knew the Sorceress was so close to finally finding the Dragon Realms. But like Red said, they never really did anything about it. They put their faith in the legends, the legends surrounding the mythos of the purple Dragon, his grandson. Thomas couldn't help but think that Red had uttered one truth in their meeting earlier. The Sorceress lowered her Scepter to finally finish of the last two Elder Dragons. Red walked towards the portal, ready to locate where in the world Spyro had been teleported to, but something unexpected happened before Red had attempted to track Spyro.

The portal activated suddenly, and glowed intensely, blinding Red and caused the Sorceress to turn around in confusion. A gust of wind emanated from the portal itself, and Red was sent back by the current. The Sorceress cape fluttered because of the breeze as she covered her eyes, shielding them from the light and wind emanating from Artisans' portal. "What now!" The Sorceress though impatiently. Red regained his posture and looked in astonishment at the Dragon that appeared before him and the Sorceress.

Malefor with six Power Gems hovering in a circle above him strutted forward towards the Sorceress with a severe look on his face. It took a moment for the Sorceress's eyes to adjust and study the creature before her, and then her memory of this Dragon finally came to her.

"Well if it isn't Malefor the 'other' purple Dragon" The Sorceress said gleefully. "It's taken you six years, but you've finally found the courage to face me once again. I'm actually grateful to see you again, purple Dragon. With you here, I can exterminate every living Dragon and have all seven Power Gems in one day."

Malefor didn't respond to the Sorceress, he instead looked around for a moment before looking at Thomas.

"Spyro isn't here. Where is he, father?"

Thomas didn't know what to say, while the Sorceress growled angrily.

"Hey! What, have you forgotten about me, Malefor? Well I haven't forgotten about you. If I recall correctly, your life's ambition was to kill me."

"Things change." Malefor responded calmly. He Stared at the Sorceress and then smiled. "But I do have a question to ask you, Sorceress. All those centuries ago when you first had all seven Power Gems at your disposal, when they first flooded your body with their power and knowledge, did you feel it Sorceress, The trans-dimensional, cosmic force of legend?"

The Sorceress' angry demeanor suddenly changed to panic. If he was talking about what she thought Malefor was talking about, then she was in trouble.

"No, fully wielding the convexity is only a myth! It doesn't exist in any universe and therefore cannot be accessed!"

"Then why did you murder every Dragonfly in existence? You had to have known what the golden glow meant for Dragonflies which have a special connection to the Power Gems."

The Sorceress looked at Malefor anxiously; had he done it? No, he couldn't have, he didn't have the golden glow and those eyes. "Well, if you're implying that you've gained access to the convexity, you're surely mistaken" The Sorceress replied to Malefor, with her best poker face.

"Do you need a demonstration?" Malefor said with a twisted smile on his face. He turned towards Red and opened his mouth. A spherical beam of purple energy appeared in his mouth and after four seconds, he unleashed the convexity at Red. He didn't even have time to react, the purple beam enveloped Red, and he was vaporized in seconds; a trail of destruction was laid as the beam continued on its path forward.

The Sorceress breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't transform. "Phew, you had me worried there for a moment Malefor, but you obviously haven't done your homework in these six years of hiding."

Malefor wasn't affected by the Sorceress comment. But he was curious, what did she know that she was withholding from him? "I wield the convexity, yet you're not impressed. What is it that you're not telling me? If you're confident you can kill me here and now, then I'm sure you don't have anything to worry about."

"Oh you poor, innocent Dragon. Yes, your blast was derived via the Power of the Gems, but it certainly wasn't manipulating the convexity in its entirety. If you'd done that, then you would have accomplished what I've spent my entire life trying to do." The Sorceress raised her right hand, which faced perpendicular to Malefor, and a similar purple sphere pooled in her palm, before she released the purple energy in a beam of destruction, which tore through Artisans in a similar fashion as Malefor's blast. Thomas and Magnus could only watch as the Sorceress and Malefor stared at each other intensely, along with looking at the destruction that had ensued only from demonstrations of their power.

"Now if you don't mind Malefor, I'd like to collect my Gems get out of here. I suppose I'm going to have to take them from you. Such a promising Dragon, too. You remind me of the Dragon that killed my father. Strong, arrogant, proud, and also babbled about the convexity, though his moral compass certainly pointed a little farther north than yours does."

Malefor needed to know for sure that the Sorceress hadn't accomplished wielding the convexity. He had been trying for years, but couldn't manage. When he was at his lowest, he was presented with a vision from the Power Gems of Spyro. Spyro was the Dragon of prophesy, but wielding the convexity was a different story, though Malefor had a suspicion that Spyro could if he was properly motivated. He needed to make sure that didn't happen. A complicated game was to ensure, and he needed the Sorceress alive for it to work.

"Sorry Dionaca, but these Power Gems belong to me, though I'll strike a deal with you."

"No one knew my Sorceress real name, what else had these gems shown Malefor?" The Sorceress thought to herself.

"I'll let you keep your Purple Gem, in exchange for my father and his friend."

"Oh, you've grown a heart since we've last met. You'd ditch your own brother to keep those Power Gems floating above you, but now bargain for the lives of these two Dragons. You've certainly changed, Malefor."

Thomas and Magnus looked at each other. That was not possible.

"If you refuse, you can always just try to kill me, though I think you'll have more trouble this time around then six years ago."

"If you insist, Malefor."

Their battle ensured, with Thomas and Magnus as spectators.


	31. Moments Together

Chapter 30: Moments Together

IT had been about two weeks since Spyro and Crash had saved the Dragon Realms from Gnasty Gnork, and his life certainly changed afterwards. He had earned the respect and admiration of all of Artisans. And Spyro thought it was bad being the only purple Dragon. He had even been interviewed a couple of times. He became tired of explaining what happened over and over, lying about what happened to protect Crash's privacy. Flame's annoying personality had been replaced by one of admiration and jealousy, not a good combination. Ember truly had a reason to love him now. Though now her flirting had changed somehow. It was at this point that Spyro new she truly loved him, and it started to become harder and harder to push her away. The constant rejection was wearing on her. He was breaking her heart, but what was he supposed to do?

Spyro's only reprieve from the attention was his secluded spot where Crash was currently living. Spyro had become a little worried about him now that he found out about his suicide problems. "Don't die Spyro… for me" Crash had said to him. Tawna's death and Crash's reaction to it made Spyro think long and hard about his life, too. Love… it was a hard subject for Spyro to think about. There was his father Ignitus, who most likely sacrificed his life for him; Thomas, who Spyro had just found out was his grandfather and had only spent about ten minutes with so far; Sparx, who was his inseparable friend who never talked; Ember, who loved him so intensely; and Cynder… Crash had once suggested that he was bold for being honest and open with her, and subtly implied that Spyro had feelings for her. Was he right? They had only known each other four a little over four and a half months, which coincidently was around the same amount of time that Crash and Tawna had loved each other. But it was very hard to get a read on Cynder's feelings. She wasn't very transparent, though she acted so straight forward and had a purpose for everything she did, a juxtaposition that only further compounded the mystery of her true feelings. She had once asked if they were friends, and Spyro answered the question to the best of his abilities. "Maybe I do love her" Spyro thought to himself. Only time would tell if it ever materialized. For now, the time Spyro, Cynder, Sparx and Crash spent on their beach was a great time, and he was grateful for it.

Crash had said that he wanted to prepare a meal for both he and Cynder today. Apparently Crash was a competent chef. Who knew? He was adjusting to life in Artisans fairly quickly. He had already begun building himself a small shack to live in, and was amassing a study supply of food. He didn't eat meat, which at first shocked Spyro. What did he eat besides that strange fruit he obsesses about? Thought the wampa was starting to grow on Spyro. It probably was an acquired taste.

"Here you go, Spyro" Crash said with his SAD. "There's two things I learned from Niko, how to fight and how to fish. The recipe, I can thank Coco for that. She had to feed her brother and father, and she was defiantly good at it." Crash laid a platter of fish and what appeared to be leaves which was topped with little flakes of brown and black specs.

"Ugh… Am I supposed to eat the green stuff?" Spyro asked as he studied the food given to him. Cynder meanwhile, took the first bite out of her dish and savored the taste. Dragons weren't known for their patients or use of utensils, thought that didn't stop Cynder from enjoying the hell out of her first taste of fish.

"Oh my, this is amazing Crash!" Cynder said as Crash placed a bowl of a yellow liquid in front of her. Dragons were apex predators, and didn't need to drink water, which they rarely did. Crash told Cynder that it was for the taste, primarily. She lathered the liquid with her tongue, as Spyro took a timid bite out of his food and once again was shown just how limited his diet was and how it could be expanded. The fish tasted wonderful, and wasn't scorched like the sheep meat he had eaten most of his life.

"Once again you've surprised me Crash, this is delicious." Crash also gave Spyro a bowl of that yellow liquid, and Spyro this time drank it right away. It was that wampa fruit again, but this time it had a serious kick to it. It surprised Spyro just how brisk it was, but tasted wonderful anyways, even in liquid form.

Crash had placed several candles on the beach and asked Spyro to carefully light them. Spyro wasn't particular good at small controlled flames; large conflagrations were his specialty. He and Cynder lit them, and they began to give off a wonderful aroma.

"Wow, what is that smell?" Cynder asked as the waves gently crashed onto the shore. It was around sunset, and Crash had told Spyro that he tried to watch the sunset every day; it was a tradition that started with Tawna the first day they escaped from Cortex. Crash had grabbed something from near his shed and returned to the beach to sit down near Spyro and Cynder.

"The sent comes from the slow burning of wampa leaves, another use of that plant" Crash said as he began to fidget with the strange object in his hands.

"And what is that?" Spyro asked. Instead of Crash responding, he began to play the instrument that was in his hands, Crash started to play one of his favorite songs. His fingers moved quickly, and Spyro and Cynder could only listen to the strange yet pleasing sounds coming from Crash's ucalaly. Spyro and Cynder both sat down near Crash and watched the sunset with him. After about four minutes, Crash stopped playing his song and smiled.

"Kawabata taught me how to play this thing." I was supposed to play it after his and Coco's wedding.

"Wedding?" Cynder asked intriguingly.

"Yeah, a special day for two people who love each other, where there family, friends, and community gather to celebrate their love and life they will have together. It's too bad I never got to play that song."

Spyro looked at Crash concernedly again. He had told the story of Coco's brother, Niko. How he had thought he died in the fire that was caused by his creator, only to find out that his creator had saved his life and turned him against his family. Some dark magic that must have taken. The story reminded Spyro of Ignitus and Malefor.

"Crash," Cynder asked suddenly, "In the Budakan village, do parents… mothers and fathers… raise their children?"

The question surprised Spyro, while Crash responded casually at first (though the SAD allowed him to cheat).

"It's the one thing parents look most forward to doing. Raising their child to adulthood, being there as they grow up…" That sadden look for Crash returned, the drooped ears and lowered head. "Holding your newborn child for the first time, promising you'll never let anything bad ever happen to them." Crash let a tear shed. He must have been thinking about Tawna and their child.

"Crash, I'm sorry, I didn't…"

"It's okay Cynder" Crash said as he wiped his face with his gloves. Crash sat still for a moment, before his ears began to pivot, and he turned around to better locate a sound he could barely hear. Spyro and Cynder looked at him, wondering what he was doing. "There are two Dragons in the woods watching us" Crash whispered. Nighttime was quickly approaching, as the sun had almost fully set over the horizon.

"There are?" Spyro said somewhat worriedly. Who were they and what would they say upon spotting Crash. Before Spyro could do anything else though, Cynder got up angrily and shouted into the woods.

"Flame, Ember, get over here, now!"

Spyro worries left him. He should have known Flamed would be curious as to where Spyro was going during the evenings he left Artisans. And Ember was probably convinced to come along to see what Cynder and Spyro were up to. But what would they say about Crash? They've never met him and didn't know that he help Spyro save their lives.

"Told you she would yell at us" Flame said as he appeared from the tree line. Ember walked slowly behind, embarrassed and ashamed that they had been caught.

"What the hell do you two think you're doing?" Cynder asked angrily.

"Spyro," Flame instead responded, "aren't you going to introduce us to your orange pet over there. First Sparx, and now this thing, which I recall is the same creature that was seen fleeing from Senate Building during their last meeting. I forgot to ask you about him, since you and Cynder where spying on that meeting, but being crystallized has a way of messing with your memory."

"Spyro," Ember said timidly, "why didn't you tell Flame or I about him? Do you not trust me?"

"Ember, I trust you, but..." Spyro stuttered as Crash walked toward the pink and red guests.

"Hello" Crash said without his SAD to the best of his ability. He switched to the SAD and continued. "I like your necklace, Ember, did you carve it yourself?"

"Thanks…" Ember replied cautiously. It was a little creepy seeing someone talk like that without their mouth moving. And she didn't know this creature. But she proceeded to answer his question. "I did carve this necklace myself. It's for someone… special. I like your necklace, too."

"You two hungry?" Crash then asked with his SAD.

"Are you kidding me," Flame answered flamboyantly, "I've been drooling for minutes smelling those tantalizing meals that Cynder and Spyro so thoroughly enjoyed."

"Great, if you two aren't buys, Spyro was just going to tell how he defeated Gnasty Gnork, if you're interested."

"I was" Spyro said. What was Crash doing, did he want me to tell the truth or come up with something? Spyro looked at Sparx, who gave him an indecisive look.

"Listen, Flame, Ember, you can't tell anyone else about 'Crash' here" Cynder interjected. "He's a refugee, and doesn't have anywhere else to live. And don't repeat anything you're about to hear from Spyro, either."

"I guess I'm going with the truth" Spyro thought. Crash assembled a fire pit which Spyro promptly lit to keep the group out of the dark, while Crash then prepared his new guest some fish.

It took about fifteen minutes, but Spyro finished his story and Flame and Ember had eaten.

"Wow," Ember said once Spyro had finished. "Is it true, Crash; did you really save Spyro's life after he defeated Gnasty Gnork?"

"So you actually didn't save the Dragon Realms own your own" Flame interrupted Crash before he could respond. "Why is that not surprising?"

"Shut up Flame!" Spyro said somewhat annoyed.

"So you're from the future?" Ember then asked, not caring about Flame and Spyro's squabble.

"Yes."

"Can you tell Flame and I about it?"

"Sure. Being gathered around a fire at night, I can't think better to do."

Crash sipped from his wampa drink and proceeded to tell the tale of best and worst moments that had happened to him on this island a hundred thousand years from now.


	32. Fighting Back

Chapter 31: Fighting Back

SPARX never returned after Spyro had yelled at him, and it was eating away at Spyro. How could he drive him away like that? He was his best friend, one of his only friends still alive. Almost all of Artisans Dragons remained as crystalline prisoners thanks to the Sorceress and Gnasty. And as for the Council of Elders, Spyro knew that the Sorceress must have killed them all after he and Cynder escaped. He had lost everything, and now it was time to get it back.

After about two months since his escape from the Sorceress, Spyro had become familiar with the interconnected resistance that has emerged as a result of centuries of oppression by the Sorceress. The extent at which the Sorceress had been terrorizing the whole world was eye opening to him. Though Spyro had suffered so much because of the Sorceress, so had so many innocent creatures for so long, and Spyro wasn't going to allow it to continue any longer. The Council of Elders had faith in him that he would rise and be the Dragon end her reign of terror. They had bet their entire specie's livelihood on it, and though they may have paid the price because Spyro wasn't ready, their sacrifice wouldn't be in vain.

Spyro had met with the Professor like Sheila had promised, and it was nice to see that he was alive and well. Though the Professor still mourned for Elora and those that had died when the Sorceress and Malefor invaded their town, he was still as happy as ever to see that Spyro was alive and had grown in the six years since they had last seen each other. Most of the books and devices he had were still intact, and Spyro had learned a lot about himself and the Power Gems during his stay with the Professor. The Professor also promised Spyro that he could in fact free all the Dragons still trapped in Artisans so long as they were "in tacked." If a Dragon stature was shattered for any reason, they wouldn't be able to be brought back to life. Hopefully, the Sorceress hadn't bothered to truly finish off every remaining Dragon.

Spyro, Cynder, Sheila, and the Professor now were currently in a tundra known as Frozen Altars. Though it was freezing outside, Spyro had acclimated very fast. The professor had informed him that as a Purple Dragon, he had a special connection to all elemental forms of magic, including water and ice. He said that soon, he could even manipulate this magic's similar to how he could manipulate fire. The same couldn't be said for Cynder, who was struggling to stay warm. She stayed close to the fire she had made and shivered as the meeting started. Sheila joined here, wearing a heavy coat made out of fur.

"So this is the Dragon" Sargent James Byrd said as he looked at Spyro, Cynder, Sheila, and the Professor. The Professor had kept in contact with several key members of the resistance via his "radio" and "telephone" inventions he was so proud of. The infrastructure was in place (primarily thanks to the portal tech he had finally figured out) for a well-coordinated resistance that spanned Avalar. Now was the time for action.

"Yes, name's Spyro" Spyro said before the Professor could respond.

"Do you really believe Professor that this Dragon can defeat the Sorceress?" Byrd responded doubtfully.

"Yes I do." The Professor responded confidently.

"Well it's not just the Sorceress I'm worried about, Professor. The Sorceress is in command of a Rhynoc army, and she has used those mercenaries to enforce and quell any small resistance's that sprung up in her territories for centuries. It's going to take a systematic uprising to defeat her armies all across Avalar. And even that isn't going to be enough to stop the Sorceress. Her control over dark magic is to complete, I've personally seen her decimate entire armies with her Power Gem. I doubt this young Dragon has what it takes to stand up to her."

"With all due respect, Byrd," Spyro cut in, "The Sorceress has enslaved my entire home world. The only Dragons to escape are me and Cynder. Her vendetta against Dragons has led to the 'systematic' destruction of everything I ever held sacred. Her magic has entrapped every Dragon in the Five Dragon Realms into crystals, and can destroy them at any time she wishes. She has also killed my father and my grandfather, both of whom sacrificed their lives so that I can live. For what she has done to me, for what she has taken from me, I will take her down, I guarantee it."

"Yeah, well… I'm going to need more than a promise, Spyro. Centuries of death and destruction have led to several with stories like yours, who also want to take that bitch down. What makes you any different?"

"If I may, Sargent Byrd," the Professor interjected, "There is a very special reason as to why Spyro can defeat the Sorceress. You see, like her, Spyro can wield the power of the Power Gems. He can rival her command of those Gems and use them to defeat her. I saw it six years ago, and I know he can do it. It's his destiny, to avenge his race and their failure to stop the Sorceress all those centuries ago."

"Aye, if it isn't a Dragon. So you weren't being mendacious James." a large Yeti said as he walked into the igloo everyone was gathered in.

"Well hello, Bentley, surprised to see you're still alive. How did your raid of Icy Peaks go? I assume you completed the objective."

"Indubitably, my Spheniscidae Sargent."

"Ah yes, your overuse of obfuscation is both enthralling and exasperating as usual my friend. Spyro, Cynder, this is Bentley, the general of the Yeti resistance and a personal friend."

"Sure am, can you believe this diminutive flightless fowl resuscitated my life? Apprehended by Rhynocs numerous years ago, and he surreptitiously ambush's their base of operations, and together we fought our way out."

"Umm… right." Spyro said confusedly.

"Well, don't underestimate this purple Dragon, James. I grew up on the folklores of Dragons. After all, they use to keep peace and order throughout all of Avalar."

"You may be right, Bentley, but any plan to actually fight the armies of the Sorceress solely depends on this Dragon's ability to kill her, and I'm not sure I want to authorize this offensive it results in too many sacrificing their lives."

"James," Sheila said as he finished. "If we have any chance, any hope of ending the terror of the Sorceress, we should take it. Her tyranny has to end, she's cause too much death. Anyone of us would sacrifice our lives to make it happen, and so would anyone of your soldiers. If it meant their families would live free. Isabelle would understand."

James looked away before regaining his composure. "No, I'm not betting the lives of every solider in my command on this stranger."

"James," Bentley said, "This is the endgame. This is our opportunity. We march into Artisans, free the Dragons, and we use the combined efforts of all the races of Avalar and take down the Sorceress. We have to, for those who have left us. I know Bartholomew would want me to go for it, if he was still with us."

Just then, another Penguin entered the igloo and handed James an envelope. He opened it and shook his head in disappointment. It was as he feared.

"What is it, James?" Sheila said worriedly.

James sighed before he told everyone in the room "It's a report from one of Panda towns imprisoned by the Sorceress. It… says that the Sorceress has somehow collected all seven Power Gems."

Everyone was speechless. "How did she take them from Malefor?" Spyro thought to himself. "She must have killed him."

"The Sorceress must have taken them from Spyro's uncle, the other surviving Dragon" Cynder said downheartedly.

"Just when things couldn't get any worse" Sheila mumbled. A couple of minutes passed by, and then there was a commotion heard outside, and everyone turned to better hear what was going on. Spyro walked outside and froze once he saw who had approached. It was Thomas and Magnus who had somehow found where Spyro was. They looked like hell, but were alive. Cynder also looked in disbelief at the two Elders, while Spyro ran towards his grandfather. They hugged, and then Spyro begged for an explanation.

"How… how are you alive, and how did you find me?" Spyro asked emotionally.

"Well, the answer to that question is hard to answer. It's pretty cold here, think we can talk about this somewhere else?"

"I thought you said all remaining Dragons were dead or crystalized, Spyro?" James said as he waddled outside to see what was going on?

"I'll explain later," Spyro said excitedly, "but first, do you have a place big enough to house us all for a while, James?"

"Sure, we can go to my… private quarters."

The group entered James' house. The Elder Dragons could barely get through the door, but managed after a concerted effort. Bentley also had to duck to get through the front door. Spyro noticed a picture of a female penguin on the wall. "Isabella" Spyro thought.

"Elders," Cynder asked, "Please, tell us what happened? Spyro and I both thought the remaining four councildragons were killed?

"Titan and Astor were killed by the Sorceress and Red respectively, but Magnus and I were saved… by Malefor."

"Malefor!" Spyro said astonished.

"He's the treacherous Dragon, Right?" Sheila asked trying to understand what had happened. "Or was that Red."

"Red was a councildragon who had betrayed us to help the Sorceress. He was killed by Thomas' son, Malefor. He then challenged the Sorceress for our lives and for sole possession of all seven Power Gems. In the process, Thomas and I were able to use the portal in Artisans to escape from the area, flee to a different place then where we sent Spyro for fear of her finding out where you were. We then destroyed the portal we emerged from and then searched for you. We don't know what happened in the fight between Malefor and the Sorceress. After we escaped, we proceeded to track you down, Spyro. You've defiantly been busy."

"I'm sorry to inform you of this," James said once Magnus had finished, "But the Sorceress is alive and well according to me latest report from the village of Pandas that borders her capital. And she also is in possession of all the Power Gems."

"Then Malefor must have been defeated by the Sorceress." Thomas said depressed.

"Thomas, Magnus," The Professor spoke, "You should know that I have discovered a way to reverse the spell used by the Sorceress to entrap your people in Crystals. I think our plan to retake Artisans should stop because of what we've heard today. I still have confidence that Spyro is a match for the Sorceress. We can only give up hope when we're dead."

"Your confidence in my grandson is admirable" Thomas said to the Professor. "I will put that same faith into the resistance of Avalar as well. And the Dragon Realms appreciates your bravery and sacrifice, everyone."

Spyro and his friends had a plan, the odds were low, but they still had hope.

* * *

Malefor studied Sparx as he was immobilized in his entrapment spell. He could recall this creature early in his childhood; he buzzed around him for a while, and then never saw it again. But now he knew what this creature's purpose was. This immortal creature funneled power from the Gems, and supposedly was a conduit to the convexity for those who managed to access that power. Malefor earlier hashed it out with the Sorceress around a week ago. Once his father and his friend had escaped Artisans, he needed to make the Sorceress believe that she had killed him, and allowed her to take his Power Gems. It was a gamble, but he needed Spyro to face the Sorceress and have the full power of the Gems at his disposal. It was the best way for him to win the altercation. And then he could proceed with his plan.


	33. Unlikely Alliances

Chapter 32: Unlikely Alliances

"Well I don't know what else to tell you, Sorceress" Red said after an exhausting argument with the Sorceress. He was in the Forgotten Realms, re-strategizing with her and getting nowhere in the process. He had to be careful not to incur the wrath of this Dinopotamus, for she could easily kill him. Red didn't know how it was possible, but that orange creature from two weeks ago had thrown such a wrench in his and the Sorceress' plans. As soon as he showed up, Red lost the opportunity to get the Sorceress into Artisans, since he no longer had the time or privacy from the Elders to drop the barrier without them noticing. And then there was Thomas' grandson, Spyro. The Sorceress was worried about the young Dragon, and he proved her suspicions right. Not only did he defeat Gnasty, but in doing so also freed every Dragon in Artisans.

"Ugh… you're starting to outlive your usefulness, Red. Though the Gnorks may be repulsive creatures, their armies could have proven to be handy. Now I may have to kill them all. Such a waste, and I don't usually say that about any living creatures. Fortunately Gnasty is still alive; I may still need him to convince his people to follow me."

"Are you sure that Ripto will be able to keep him alive. Gnasty was on the brink of death when I found him."

"Ripto and his Rhynoc's haven't failed me yet. Their allegiance to me has proven quite useful in the past centuries, and given the strange Rhynoc tech that they have come up with in the past thirty years, I think they should be able to revive Gnasty to his formal self. To think that midget was smart enough to come up with such tech."

"Yes, and their tech was steadily brought to the Gnorks once they figured out a way to activate their portals to get to Avalar. The Elders' were concerned about it at first, but decided to let it slide. Idiots."

"The only idiot is you Red, how could you let a small, orange, fury rat ruin my plan!" Red had been with the Sorceress when she asked her profit about the creature that teleported into the Elders meeting two weeks ago. The profit had said that the warrior was from the future and would be the reason she would be defeated. It seemed so strange that a creature as insignificant as that orange… rat could kill her. But apparently the Sorceress was still concerned that her destiny had been so drastically altered by unforeseeable consequences, and she was probably going to take her anger out on him.

"Sorceress, please. I doubt you have anything to worry from that orange creature. And I hope you remember that I'm still your only option as to getting into the other five Dragon Realms. And until you figure out another way to breach my ancestors impenetrable spell keeping you out, you still need me."

"Well it's not my problem you're too weak to do so from the exterior. And If I knew where Malefor was, I'd just use his Power Gems and get it over with."

A dark portal ripped through the air in the Sorceress' castle, and almost as if summoned by name, Malefor himself appeared from the rift and stepped forth to great the Sorceress. Red could only stare in disbelief, and the Sorceress's servants fled from the area.

"Well speak of the devil" The Sorceress said with a grin on her face as she stood up from her mighty throne.

Malefor returned the greeting, and all of a sudden, three Power Gems appeared from the rift and floated towards the Sorceress.

"Oh, and he's brought gifts!" The Sorceress exclaimed as she began to tap from the three Power Gems floating around her plus the one attached to her scepter.

"Yes," Malefor said with a smile on his face, "consider those as gifts as a request from me to seek your audience, Sorceress."

Red was in total bewilderment. Thomas' son wanting nothing but the death of the Sorceress, but now he was willingly giving the Sorceress Power Gems. What the hell was he up to?

"Oh, but Malefor, your missing three Gems?"

"Yes I am. I'll hold onto those as collateral until you finish what you were supposed to do two weeks ago."

"Oh, well you can blame Red over there for that."

"Do you know why I've come here, Sorceress?"

The Sorceress looked at the large Purple Dragon in front of her. She actually didn't know why he was here or what he was up to. Six years ago, she had fought him in a town in Avalar. And although Malefor did flee from her, he proved to be quite the adversary and had about as much control over the Power Gems as she did. What was he playing at?

"Why don't you eighteen me, Malefor. You've put me in a good mood."

"I've come here to discuss some, less than promising news regarding my nephew. Your profits must have shown you what he will become."

A bead of sweat dripped from the Sorceress face. "What he would become?" she thought to herself, and then another though hit here. "No! It couldn't be possible."

"Something has changed in the past two weeks; all of our destinies have been altered. You and I both know what the cause is, but do you know what the effect will be?"

"If you're refereeing to Spyro, then you're surely mistaken."

"I could hardly believe it myself, when I saw the vision from the six Power Gems, your final battle with Spyro, the color of his skin. Something you do before your final battle with Spyro allows him to finally control the Gems to their fullest extent. The Convexity."

"No!" The Sorceress yelled in a furry. "It isn't possible! The Convexity is a myth!"

"But it's the very reason you started your war to control the Power Gems. And for the time you had all seven, you tried to tap into it, but couldn't."

"So this is why you've sought my audience. Spyro is a threat to both of us… Just know this Malefor; I will kill every remaining Dragon on this earth. Now whether you and Red are part of that count remains to be seen. And once I'm done with the Dragons, only one of us can have control of all seven Power Gems. We may have a common enemy, but once this war's over, only one of us will remain."

"I look forward to it, Dionaca" Malefor said as he walked through the same rift that brought him to the Sorceress' Forgotten Realms. He was gone, and the Sorceress was left with her thoughts. No one knew her real name. And his warning about Spyro; she needed to kill that Dragon, fast.

"Sorceress," Red said while she was thinking, "If what Malefor said about Spyro and the convexity are true, then we must do everything we can to kill Spyro as quickly as possible."

"If you get me into the Realm of the Dragons, Red, then that shouldn't be a problem." A while ago, the Sorceress' profit had warned her about an orange warrior. If he was really the cause of this, then he needed to die, too.

* * *

Gnasty Gnork lay unconscious on an operating table, while his doctor had just wrapped up applying his cybernetics to keep him alive. The Doctor was old, had white hair and saggy skin. He had been a prisoner of Ripto for almost thirty years. He had been captured by Rhynocs when he abruptly appeared in their domain thirty years ago. And for the remainder of his life, he was held captive by Ripto as he was forced to yield everything he knew about science to him. He had been the cause of an industrial revolution for both the Rhynocs and the Gnorks, both of whom were now under the control of the Sorceress. He knew who the Sorceress was, how could he not? His whole reason for being here was to talk to her.

"Excellent Work, Doctor." Ripto said as he strut about the room in his purple overcoat. He wore a necklace which had a special talisman attached to the chain. It was the mask that was a conduit to his dark magic. The talisman was a dark, black mask, with miniature bones on the sides of the it, which had red lips and intimidating yellow eyes. Along with being the artifact that marked Ripto as the head mage of the Rhynocs, it also was the reason why both he and his favorite prisoner could communicate. "You've proven yourself to be quite useful these past three decades. Your knowledge from the future, it's the only reason as to why I've kept you alive. When you said you were from the future… Cortex, right? I was skeptical. But I believe you now. What was the reason you traveled back to the past again? Oh yea, knowledge on the Power Gems. What, did you think you could just talk with the Sorceress? She's the most powerful being in existence. I know I rub this in your face constantly, but what were you thinking? And you came to the past by yourself? For such a smart man, you certainly didn't think your plan through!"

Cortex had given up trying to explain himself decades ago. He was a broken and defeated man. His plan wasn't to come to the past alone, and he certainly wasn't intending on stranding himself here, either. It was that infernal bandicoot! He ruined everything! And now Cortex had suffered for ages because of it. That golden glow and his red eyes still haunted him to this day.

"Oh… I do recall you saying something about an orange creature of yours who ruined your 'diabolical' plan for world conquest in the future. Apparently he's partially responsible for your patient being in the shape he's in. Seems as if he was brought to the past, too."

"Subject C1 was here!" Cortex thought to himself. But how was that possible? He was at N Tropy's time machine; he must have been brought to the past to once he destabilized the warp zone. Was it possible he was brought to the past thirty years ago, too, or had he only appeared recently?

"Once you're done on Gnasty, here, I want you to continue making sure your new time machine is ready. You may not have the Gems, but you let me worry about that. The Sorceress is immortal, but apparently you claim she was defeated by a young Purple Dragon. Well, If I can't rule over the world now, why not the future?"


	34. Your Future is Behind You

Chapter 33: Your Future is Behind You

FOUR months had gone by, and for the first time, Spyro had finally visited all of the Dragon Realms. He was allowed to travel, to explore. He also no longer felt like an outsider, but instead as a role model. He was in attendance at the next Senate Meeting, this time formally invited. They discussed the remaining issue of the Sorceress, what she could be up to, and how the Elders could prepare Spyro to confront her. He may have only been ten years old, but they had confidence in him. When that day finally came, when Spyro had to fight for the survival of his species, he knew he would be ready. Everything seemed right in the world, except for one thing.

Crash remained on his beach. And Spyro couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He isolated himself, kept himself secluded from everyone including Spyro. He was concerned for Crash's health; Crash had told him about his suicide problem, and it seemed as if he had gotten over it, but Spyro couldn't be sure. He needed to talk to him. Today, Spyro was going to visit him unexpectedly.

Spyro landed on the beach to find Crash painting on a bolder. It was a portrait of a some kind, but he or she was so young. "Hey Crash" Spyro said as he walked up to Crash. Crash jumped and turned around to see his friend. Spyro had never actually startled Crash before; he always seemed to hear when Spyro was flying to this beach. He got up and turned to face Spyro. He looked like a mess.

"Hey… I'm… painting. What brings you here?" Crash said with his SAD as he looked around at his painting supplies. Finding the right colors was challenging, and he wasn't sure if he had enough.

"Painting, hugh? Who are you drawing?" Spyro asked as Crash continued to fidget aimlessly with his supplies, not really paying attention to Spyro. He seemed agitated and frustrated. From what Spyro could tell from the painting, it seemed to be an infant that he was drawing. Spyro had a pretty good guess at who that was.

"Crash… can I talk to you?" Spyro said concernedly

Crash halted in place and again looked at Spyro, this time with a saddened and lost look on his face.

"About what?" Crash asked with his SAD, although he had an idea where Spyro might be going with this.

"Crash, I'm worried about you. You being her on this beach alone, I think you're in pain and are not willing to heal. I can't stand seeing you like this."

Coco had once given Crash a similar speech on this beach.

"I mean… look at yourself Crash!" Spyro continued. "Have you seen yourself lately, seen your reflection? It looks like you barely sleep, and I can see your rib's. Once you told me how much loosing Tawna, Coco, and the rest of Budakan hurt you, plagued you with a pain in your heart. How you were considering killing yourself to end that pain. But now I think you're just wasting away here on this beach, trying to wither away slowly because you can't get over your losses. You're willing to fight for anyone but yourself. I don't know if it's because you feel guilty or responsible for all the tragedies in your life, but you're wrong if you think so. You deserve to be happy, to have a family again, but that can never happen if you can't let go of the past. Please Crash," Spyro said a little emotionally it this point, "Open up, and let me help you instead of shutting me out."

"I… already told you about my life." Crash said looking away from Spyro. His concern for him was breaking through.

"No, you only gave me an objective synopsis of your life. But now I want to know why you can't let go. You can't keep this inside of you forever. I'm your friend. I promised to stay alive for you, now you need to promise me the same. And it starts by getting over this, moving on and living your life, and to stop clinging to the past." Spyro was looking at Crash's painting and Crash noticed.

Crash didn't know what to say. What did Spyro want him to say, what did he mean by open up? He had already told him about his future. He must know why he feels the way he does. Why losing his love, child, and adopted sister tore him up so.

"I'm alone; I can never have a family or a 'life' again" Crash finally responded with his SAD. Tears were forming in his eyes. That was it, Crash thought, this was the reason he couldn't move on, twice he had a family, once with Tawna and once with Coco, and both times he lost them.

"That's not true, Crash" Spyro replied crying, too. "It may not be perfect; it may not make a whole lot of sense, but… I'm your new family. I'm your brother now… And family's look out for one another, no matter how grim or bad things get."

Crash remembered that line. He told Spyro the same thing in the Peace Keepers Realm. Crash looked down and closed his eyes, trying to flush out the tears, though more came. He collapsed to the ground with tear drops marking the sand. This had been bottled up inside him ever since he first arrived in the past. When he first realized he was trapped here. But now Crash couldn't hold it back anymore. He wept as Spyro came closer. Spyro leaned against his brother and gave him a shoulder to cry on.

"I can't be alone anymore" Crash said raspy and pausing several times to catch his breath. Though Spyro could barely tell what he had just said, he didn't care.

"And you won't be" Spyro said calmly.

"Thanks Spyro" Crash said more understandably without using his SAD.

"You're welcome brother."

They both smiled as they watched the sunset together.


	35. Vacation

Chapter 34: Vacation

"Where are we going again?" Crash asked with his SAD as he, Spyro, Flame, Ember, Cynder, and a flying Sparx walked toward the portal in Artisans. About a week ago, Spyro finally told all of Artisans about Crash and how he had appeared from the future and helped him in defeating Gnasty Gnork. With the backing of the Elders, Crash's assimilation into Dragon life was… still a little bumpy. Crash could still remember the looks every Dragon had given him once they first saw him. It was exactly the same as the looks the Budakan villagers gave him once Coco integrated him into their community. But as the days moved on, the attention he was getting slowly dwindled with time.

"It's a place called Dragon Shores," Spyro responded, "located in the Magic Crafters Realm. The place is amazing; it's a floating island with floating bodies of water. I figure since I'm on vacation, and the weather here hasn't been that great recently, Sparx and I decided it was time for a change in scenery."

"Well I'm finally glad you decided to bring me and Ember along, for once, Spyro." Flame butt in. Cynder looked at him with disgust, though Flame was use to her malice at this point. Cynder and Flame had never got along, and it wasn't going to start today.

"Well Crash," Ember said, "I certainly think you deserve the time to unwind. After all that has happened to you and all you've done for us recently, you certainly deserve this."

"Thanks, Ember. It means a lot." Crash said trying not to use his SAD. Crash blushed after his embarrassingly high pitched and squeaky voice made both Flame and Ember flinch.

"I think you should stick with the white box on your neck, Crash." Flame said somewhat sarcastically, though Ember didn't think the remark was funny.

"Ugh, you're so inconsiderate, Flame! Do you even know or care why Crash doesn't like using SAD?"

"He doesn't? What, did he tell you that or something? Well, I didn't know." Flame said defensively.

"If you were paying attention to Crash's story on the beach a while ago, you would have remembered who gave him that SAD in his future. The same man who has caused him so much pain in his life. But of course you wouldn't care about something if it didn't involve yourself."

"That's not true, Ember!" Flame said unexpectedly loudly. "I care about others."

"Really" Ember said somewhat doubtfully. "Do you care about Spyro? He's your friend and saved your life, but all you do is be jealous and envious of him. And then there's me, and all you ever do is put me down."

Spyro, Cynder, and Crash could only watch as these two went at it.

"I don't put you down, Ember. What, you think I enjoy seeing you depressed and heartbroken because of Spyro. You try to hide it, but it's killing you on the inside. You even made Spyro a necklace, the one you're wearing right now." Flame took a quick glance at Spyro and Cynder before he continued. "Spyro and Cynder's… 'relationship' is hurting you, deeply. I've even seen you cry over it."

Ember at this point was starting to tear up. She didn't know that Flame cared this much. Spyro and Cynder still didn't know what to say, even though they were only feet from these two.

"You're kind and compassionate, Ember. And if Spyro can't see how much you care for him… well maybe he doesn't deserve you."

Crash walked toward Flame and spoke using his SAD, "Why don't you tell her how you feel, Flame?"

Flame looked at Crash confusedly. "What are you talking about?"

"About how much you care, Flame" Crash responded.

"What is he talking about, Flame?" Ember asked emotionally.

Flame didn't know how Crash knew this, but now seemed as good of a time as ever to come clean.

"Ember, I… I love you. I've tried to hide it because I knew how much you cared for Spyro. And I was willing to hide it forever if Spyro ever loved you back, since I knew it would make you happy. But I can't let you be like this any longer. If Spyro can't see how beautiful and compassionate you are, then I'll tell you. I love you, Ember."

Ember looked at Flame, tears reflecting in her eyes. She never knew that Flame had loved her. "I don't k… know what to say, Flame."

"How about, 'I love you?'" Flame said as he came to embrace Ember. They stared at each other, and then pressed their heads together.

"Okay Flame, I love you" Ember whispered as they embraced one another. Cynder looked at the two, and for the first time in her life, she had respect for Flame. Spyro, meanwhile, felt really bad, considering what Flame had just said about him. Spyro knew he was breaking Ember's heart for all these months, but he never knew what to do about it. Crash appeared besides Spyro, and nudged him gently with his elbow. Spyro looked over at Crash surprised.

"Don't feel guilty, Spyro," Crash reassured him with his SAD, "Love is a strange thing, but once you feel it, it will be the best feeling in the world."

Spyro thought of how love was the reason Crash broke free of Cortex's control. He smiled at Crash, and then looked at Ember and Flame. "Ember, I'm sorry for how I've made you feel for all this time. I hope you can forgive me."

Ember smiled and walked toward Spyro. "It's okay Spyro. Here, I want you to have this." She took off her wood carved necklace and gave it to Spyro. "I always intended to give it to you, and now seems as good as a time as ever." Spyro took the necklace from Ember and put it around his neck.

"Thanks," Spyro said softly, "it's beautiful."

After about a twenty second pause, it was Crash that broke the silence. "Alrighty then, to Dragon Shores!" Spyro walked up to the portal and activated it, changing its destination to the Realm of the Magic Crafters. He had learned how to control the portals of the Dragon Realms while he trained with Thomas and Magnus. Crash, Spyro, Sparx, Cynder, Flame, and Ember entered the portal and viewed the vista that was the floating island of the Magic Crafters. Magnus was waiting at the other end of the portal as Spyro and the others emerged from the vortex.

"Welcome, Spyro. Glad to see you've mastered the magic of the Dragon Portals."

"It wasn't that hard." Spyro said confidently. "It's nice to finally be on vacation. So which way is the beach, again?"

Magnus pointed west, and the four dragons made their way to Dragon Shores. Crash was riding on Spyro, and this time Crash didn't have to hold on for his life. The view from the sky was incredible. They spent most of the afternoon at the beach. Surprisingly, even a floating body of water had waves, so Crash hatched an idea. He and Spyro made a quick stop at the Magic Realms castle, and Crash asked for a few supplies. It was the first time that the Dragons in this Realm had seen Crash, but having Spyro accompanying him dropped their alarm. Crash had asked for a rope and requested a uniquely shaped wooden board. Once they had gotten the supplies they needed, he and Spyro joined the others and the beach, and Crash revealed his plan.

Spyro had one end of the rope gripped firmly in his mouth, while Crash used his surfboard and made himself a makeshift parasailing rig. Flame, Ember, and Cynder watched the spectacle, and cheered as Crash dazzled them with his in air tricks.

"Where in the world did you come up with this and get so good at it, Crash?" Flame asked once Crash swam to shore and Spyro landed next to him. Spyro and Crash gave each other a high five before Crash answered his question.

"Well, I learned surfing from Niko, although having Spyro fly around and give me the extra 'hang time' off the waves was my idea. I'm going to work on lunch, you getting in the water, Flame?"

"Oh what? No. I can't swim. Plus I hate getting wet."

"Come on, Flame," Cynder said pressingly, "Spyro doesn't seem to mind." Spyro and Sparks disappeared once they dove into the depths of the floating water.

"Well yeah," Flame responded defensively, "but he can actually breathe underwater, given his contention to that elemental magic crap."

"We could go into the water together, Flame" Ember said as she stood beside Flame.

"Umm… are you sure?" Flame said as their wings touched. A shiver shuttered down his spine, probably caused by nervousness and the unexpected sensual contact from Ember.

"Yeah," Ember continued, "we can learn to swim together." They both slowly entered the ocean together, but didn't go in very far.

"Hey Cynder," Crash said with his SAD, "you want a drink, I brought some wampas and some bowls with me in my bag."

"Umm, sure… Hey Crash, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure" Crash responded as he began to work on making his signature drink.

"Earlier today, how did you know that Flame loved Ember?"

"Well… I kind of guessed." Crash said as he continued to work on beverages.

"You guessed!?"

"You could say it was an educated guess. I saw how Flame and Ember acted together when I first met them on the beach in Artisans, and subsequently when I was welcomed fully into Artisans. The prolonged eye contact, the banter between them, It reminded me of Coco and I." Crash placed a bowl in front of Cynder, but she didn't drink from it right away.

"I never did thank you Crash for releasing me form Gnasty's spell and fulfilling your promise."

"You heard me while imprisoned?"

"Yeah… I have a feeling that you being brought to the past wasn't an accident. I hope you find happiness here, Crash. You've lost a lot, but hopefully you can find peace."

"I will, Cynder. And when you're ready, you should tell Spyro how you feel."

"How did you know?"

"Lucky guess."


	36. Not about Right and Wrong

Chapter 35: Not about Right or Wrong

HUNTER looked at the purple Dragon standing in front of him. He was sure that that the all Dragons were dead. Apparently he knew Elora. Her unexpected death six years ago tore at him, but Hunter had grieved for long enough. Now was the time for action.

Hunter was aware of the role Dragons had in the world thousands of years ago, as a matter of fact he was sure almost everyone in Avalar knew. They were the creatures who first discovered magic, which governed its use and acted as unofficial protectors of the world. Their protection wasn't perfect, it wasn't unanimously wanted, and it certainly wasn't appreciated by everybody. It was most likely for this reason that a war broke out between the Dragons and the Dinopotamuses in the first place. But seeing as how that war turned out, Hunter had to concede that the earlier arrangement sounded better than the current state of Avalar.

Cheetah's territory lay uncomfortably close to the Sorceress', and for millennia they had been a thorn in her side. Alone, Cheetah's attacked the Rhynocs invading their home and alone they kept them at bay. Their deep knowledge of the savannahs which they called their home gave them a distinct advantage against the Sorceress' foreign mercenaries. But their numbers and apparent disregard for casualties proved to be too much to bear over time. And it didn't help that the Cheetah's bold defiance of the Sorceress' despotism put his race directly in her crosshairs. Steadily, Cheetah's were displaced from their home, a lot of them slaughtered directly by the Sorceress and her dark magic, and now his proud race was reduced to bunch of refugees. It was for this reason that Hunter could empathies with Spyro. And for this reason he and the remaining clan of Cheetahs will aid Spyro of the Dragons; James Byrd, Bentley, and their warriors of the winter; Sheila and her allies of the autumn; and the monkeys who inhabited Summer Falls.

""A Rhynoc! Oh! Let me at him! You wanna piece of me, Rhynoc boy! Eat Laser, punk! Come on, now! No fair hiding!" Agent 9, as he for some reason called himself, continued to rant. The monkeys of Summer Falls had impressively defeated an army of Rhynocs who had intended on conquering the place in the name of the Sorceress. The laser that Agent 9 was so fond of was a creation of the Professor's.

His strange behavior continued to worry everyone around, although Bentley seemed to be enjoying his antics, and even spurred him on. "My, you're a sporadic and energetic little simian, aren't you Agent 9" Bentley said as Agent 9 climbed onto a neighboring tree and looked at the out of place, large white Yeti.

"Are you making fun of me, tough guy?" Agent 9 said as he looked at Bentley with one eye closed.

"Potentially, though the interrogative I wish to have resolved is what you blaster pistol could do if I was."

"And I thought no one would ask." He said as he laughed maniacally. He chucked a rock into the air and obliterated it with his sidearm once the rock was descending form its parabolic movement.

"Tatum, please!" The Professor asked impatiently after Agent 9 had unexpectedly fired his dangerous weapon. "I know your 'impatient,' but can you wait to unleash your frustrations once we've actually entered Artisans?"

"You can't be serious, Professor." Byrd said angrily after witnessing the erratic behavior of this primate.

"Listen, Tatum may seem a bit, unstable, but he and his family are more than capable of aiding us in our mission. Just give him a chance."

"I need solders, Professor, not renegade lunatics."

Agent 9 acrobatically made his way towards the Professor and Byrd before commenting on Byrd's assessment of him.

"Ohhhhh come on, Byrd. James Byrd. Oh that has a nice ring to it. You're my hero. The Professor told me all about you and how you're a secret agent. I want to be an agent just like you. Agent 9, reporting for duty!"

"A secret agent, what is he talking about Professor?"

"Oh… well, you see. When you saved Bentley's life from the Rhynocs, I kind of got the impression that… uhm…"

"Don't we have more pressing matters to discuss, Professor?" Hunter butted in. His impatience was growing. This gathering was one of the largest gatherings of the Sorceress enemies ever. It couldn't have been overlooked, even if all movement here to Summer Falls was done via teleportation.

"Your right Hunter. I'll have to get back to you on this, Byrd."

"Please don't." He replied somewhat annoyed.

"Ooh, ooh, I'll tell you the story, Agent James Byrd!" Agent 9 said as he shook uncontrollable in joy. Byrd's palm dug into his face.

* * *

Dragons: Spyro Cynder, Thomas, and Magnus; Sheila the Kangaroo; Hunter; the Professor; James Byrd; Bentley the Yeti; Agent 9's father, Ejento, who was the Leader of the Monkey clan; Tatum, or as he preferred, Agent 9; along with several representatives of the Cheetahs, Penguins, Yetis, Kangaroos, Bunnies, and Monkeys all gathered inside a large, remote island which housed the professor's discrete laboratories. His scientific work was considered crucial to the Avalar Resistance, so he though it prudent to have an undisclosed location to conduct his most important research (and having his last base ransacked by the Sorceress also encouraged him to relocate).

The Professor stood alone affront of everyone. It was his job to rally everyone here to defeat the Sorceress, and then explain just how they could do that. Not an easy task.

"Hello everyone" The Professor stated, and then coughed to clear his throat. He must have been a little nervous, Spyro though. "As most of you know, my name is simply the Professor. Bland, I know. But that's not important, what is important is what I know. Six years ago, I lost a personal friend, Elora, to the rage of the Sorceress." Spyro knew that that wasn't technically true, but he didn't say anything. "Her death, though hard to overcome, marked a change in my life. I knew that I could no longer be a passive member of the Avalar Resistance. I needed to unite all of those who have suffered because of the Sorceress. I alone could not do a thing to stop her, but I possessed the knowledge and the capability to rally those who could. All of us have lost friends and family because of this war." The Professor took a deep breath before he continued.

"Sargent Byrd lost his wife Isabelle during an ambush by Rhynoc forces. They had two kids together, and those two now valiantly serve under their father's command." Byrd took a moment to wipe a tear before retaining his composer.

"Bentley's brother, Bartholomew, was captured and placed in a prisoner of war camp at the age of ten and has never been seen since. Ejento lost six of his nine children to a Rhynoc's raid of their home in Summer Falls, though they heroically fought the intruders off after a tremendous and spirited effort. Hunter's clan of Cheetahs has been pursued by the Sorceress for generations, losing a courageous yet uphill rebellion against her. And more recently, he too mourns the loss of Elora with me. Sheila's home in the outback was sacked by the Sorceress ages ago, and now she and other Kangaroos must live scattered hundreds of miles from their home. And then there are the Dragons. Spyro, the young purple Dragon who sits in the front, has also lost it all because of the Sorceress. As we all know, a this war we fight now started a millennia ago, when the Dragons fought to keep the dangerous power of the Power Gems out of the hands of the Sorceress, but were unable to do so. They were defeated, and forced to flee to six magically hidden Realms known as the Dragon Realms. This, I have to say, was their biggest mistake."

The quote stunned Spyro, and he took a glance at both Thomas and Magnus, though they looked like they agreed with the Professor.

"It was the time when the world needed them the most, and when they couldn't hold up their promise to keep the power of the Gems out of the wrong hands, they fled. In doing so, they were able to seal five of the seven Power Gems out of the Sorceress reach, and hid one here in Avalar. Though I can't say I blame them for what the Sorceress has done, and for these Dragon's ancestor's decision to flee from her, I can say that they have suffered as much as the rest of us. Alone, the Dragons were not able to stop the Sorceress, but maybe aided with the help of those they once swore to protect, together, bonded by common losses, can rise to stop the Sorceress."

The speech drew applause from all the races bought here in a last ditch effort to stop the Sorceress. It was only when everyone stopped clapping but one did everyone turn around and notice the fifth Dragon at the back. Where did he come from, most of the animals gathered around thought to themselves. Only a select few from the front recognized who that large, imposing, purple dragon. Malefor had found Spyro and his father.

"Very impressive speech Professor. And I've got to commend you for pointing out the mistakes my ancestors made."

Spyro, Thomas, Magnus, and Cynder were under the impression that Malefor had died when he confronted the Sorceress in Artisans several months ago. It was the only explanation as to how the Sorceress now had all seven Power Gems according to Sargent Byrd. How was here, then?

"I'm fairly certain some of you have heard some fairly nasty things about me. I can say that most of them are true, although that isn't important at the moment. I'm here to help, and although some of you may not believe me, I think you should at least hear me out. First, a gift for the Dragon whom all of you are relying on defeating the Sorceress." He concentrated for a moment, and all of a Sudden, an unconscious Sparx appeared in his hands, trapped inside a bottle. Spyro got out of his chair and marched toward Malefor. Malefor unscrewed the bottle and Sparx came to and flied out and excitedly flew around Spyro.

"What did you do to him Malefor?" Spyro asked angrily once he refocused on Malefor.

"Well, you drove him off in a fit of anger; I simply found him and kept him out of harm's way. There's a reason why the Sorceress made sure all Dragonflies were extinct, minus your friend here." Spyro did not press any further, for Malefor was telling the truth.

"Okay, next order of business, identifying the traitor amongst you, and the reason why the Sorceress is waiting in Artisans Realm right now ready to destroy your little revolt as soon as you teleport into Artisans Realm."

A bunny quickly scurried out of the crowed and leaped remarkably high to reach a window near the ceiling.

"She's getting away. Somebody going to do something about that?" Malefor said somewhat uninterested.

Hunter was already in pursuit, He leaped the majority of the way to the window the bunny had used to escape, and used his claws to get the rest of the way to the window, he dropped to the ground outside and perused on all floors, quickly gaining ground on the Bunny that had just reach a portal arc on the edge of the island. Hunter halted and drew out his bow and arrow in a single move. He had the arrow pointed at the traitor, and she stared back at him innocently.

"If you value the lives of those gathered in that building, you will not peruse the Sorceress" the Bunny explained. "It will lead to their deaths."

"You're willing to live your life subjugated by the Sorceress, I'm not. Make a move bunny ears, and you'll regret it." Others were appearing from the Professor's lab and witnessed the two in a stare down.

Smoke The Bunny said in an undecipherable language, and pink smoke appeared all around her. Hunter unleashed his primed arrow at where the Bunny was standing, but did not hit anything. The Portal was active once the pink fog cleared, and then the portal exploded violently. The shock sent Hunter flying back, with parts of him ignited on fire. He rolled on the ground to smother the flames, and then got up slowly as Sheila and Byrd approached him to check if he was alright.

"Ugh, she rabbited!" Hunter exclaimed as he shrugged of help from Sheila and Byrd. "How the hell did a spy for the Sorceress manage to spy on this meeting? And why is Malefor the only one who knew! Isn't he supposed to be an adversary, or dead?"

"As I just said earlier," Malefor continued as he walked towards the ocean, "I'm here to help, as much as my father and nephew may disagree. Now if I may continue, I need to get to my third order of business. I can track the position of the Sorceress, since she keeps all seven of the Power Gems on her at all times. Yes, she took them from me, and yes I allowed her to do so. Spyro, you've must have been told this a zillion times, but you are destined to defeat her. I'm here to make sure you do so with the power of all Seven Gems. And in order for you to do that, I need to show you how to use the Power of the Gems."

"No way in hell!" Spyro retorted angrily.

"I though you may say something like that." Malefor raised his front left claw, and dark lightning shot out of hit and struck Spyro. He screamed out in agony, and Cynder and Thomas lunged forward ready to confront Malefor, but he stopped his assault almost as soon as it started, and raised his other front claw. A necklace appeared in his palm, and Thomas recognized it as the same necklace that Red had thrown on the table in the Senate Building.

"The key to wielding the Power Gems is will power. The power of the Gems is an extension of your own energy, a catalyst as well as a source. The power inside the Gems will become a reflection of your own will. And your will needs to be stronger then the Sorceress' when you confront her. You know whom this necklace belongs to, right Spyro." Spyro got up from the ground in pain and stared intensely at his uncle. The necklace caught on fire and was reduced to ashes. Spyro looked away for a moment before charging at Malefor, everyone, including Sparx, did not act.

Malefor sighed and braced for Spyro's attack. Green energy appeared where Spyro collided with the field that Malefor Generated, and again Spyro was struck with dark lightning, this time for a couple of seconds longer.

"What, you think the death of your father is enough to make you the right candidate to kill the Sorceress? The Elders probably never mentioned this, but Dragons treated the Dinopotamuses the same way they treated the Gnorks all those years ago. The Sorceress' father was killed by a Dragon, you know? He may have deserved it, but that is the original reason as to why the Sorceress hate's Dragons. You could then say that the Gems 'corrupted' her like they did to me. I would argue that the Gems have instead expanded our minds."

Spyro could only stare at Malefor as he caught his breath. He was supposed to kill the Sorceress, but he was struggling to even put up a fight against Malefor, who was just as dangerous as she was.

"This is no longer about right or wrong, Spyro. This is about sole possession of the Power Gems. Though no one here would want to admit it, he who has possession of those Gems becomes the ruler of this planet. If you want to take the Sorceress down, you need to take her power. Do you have what it takes, nephew?"

"I will never wield the Power Gems and become like you!"

"Well how else were you expecting to kill the Sorceress! What, you think you can just kill her because your prophesized to? Because she murdered you father and you want revenge!" Malefor again struck Spyro with the dark lighting, and Spyro collapsed to the ground in a spasm of agony. He screamed loudly as the lightning spread all over his body and caused him the worst pain he ever felt.

"This is exactly what the Sorceress will do to you! Slaughter you without an effort, because you're too afraid! You're arrogant and have been told all your life that you're special. Well guess what, I was told the same thing, too. And then my Elders abandoned the notion because I didn't adhere to their wishes. Well guess what, no one is born with potential, they earn it! And what have you ever done in your life except run away when opportunities arise to save everyone you ever cared about! Flee!" Malefor stopped the lightning, and Spyro lay barely breathing on the beach, but alive. Everyone could only watch in horror. Thomas and Magnus had warned everyone not to interfere, especially Cynder. Malefor was dangerous, even without the Power Gems in his possession.

"Get up! You're a purple Dragon! The pinnacle of the Dragon race! Do something instead of giving up and dying where you stand. You want to live? Prove you deserve to!" Malefor once again struck Spyro with his dark lightning, and Spyro was enveloped in excruciating pain. But instead of falling to the ground, he maintained his stance and yelled out incredibly loudly in anger. A large plume of Fire escaped from his mouth as a dark aura began to form around him. Bright light emanated from his eyes, obscuring his pupils from being seen from outside observers. Darkness enveloped his skin and continued to emanate from his body. Malefor halted his attack, impressed with what he saw.

"No longer will you be held back by your emotions. This isn't about doing the right thing, avenging your people. Right, wrong, no longer any of your concern. You die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villain. But in the end there is no difference. Only who lives and who dies" Malefor said to his nephew before their fight began. Dark Spyro lunged forward, intending to kill.


	37. The Dark Dragons

Chapter 36: The Dark Dragons

CYNDER could only watch at what Spyro had become. Malefor had beaten him down and scolded him. He was on the brink of death, and somehow got up to face Malefor one last desperate time. But once he stood up and succumbed to his rage and fear, he was a different Dragon then. She could see, no… feel the difference in him. The transformation may have looked only physical, but Spyro changed on the inside as well. Cynder and Spyro had though that they were the only Dragons alive for around five months before Thomas, Magnus, and Malefor showed up. And during that time, Spyro had overcome his grief and became the hope she and these citizens of Avalar needed, most of who were gathered around her right now. The magic that he was learning and getting accustom to had inspired them; they started to believe there was someone out there who could rival the Sorceress. Through him, the Professor was able to gather all these people who had lost so much together and finally stand a chance of defeating her.

That Spyro had been defeated by Malefor. What was clashing with Malefor now was something else. He was ferocious, he was terrifying, and he was powerful. Spyro and Malefor had taken to the air at this point, leaving much of the beach where their battle had started on fire and decimated. The fight had become very dangerous to those who were watching. Magnus raised a magical barrier over the Avalar Resistance as a torrent of flame danced over Magnus' shield. Thomas ordered everyone to retreat from the beach and enter the Professor's laboratory. Everyone quickly moved inside, although one particular Cheetah was brimming with anger.

"What the hell is going on Dragons? Talk!" Hunter yield impatiently as the ground literally shook for a moment. "Who exactly is Malefor and why is he attacking Spyro?"

"It's complicated" Magnus responded as everyone in the laboratory murmured and chattered in a panic, though Cynder, Thomas, Sheila, the Professor, Byrd, and Bentley were listening to this conversation intently.

"Well clarify it, now!"

"Malefor has been corrupted by the Power Gems. He, like the Sorceress, seeks to wield their full power. Why he is here I don't know."

"I was under the impression that the Sorceress killed him, when 'Malefor' tried to save your lives."

"That not entirely true, Hunter. Thomas and I both thought that the Sorceress did indeed kill Malefor and take his six Power Gems when she attacked Artisans. But his intention was not to save our lives."

"I'm not sure we should treat Malefor as an adversary" Hunter then said, surprising everyone in the group.

"No" Thomas said rather abruptly, "he cannot be trusted, he is too dangerous!"

"He may be dangerous, but he wants to kills the Sorceress. And although it may look cruel, I think he's trying to train Spyro."

"Are you insane!?" Cynder reacted in horror. "He's trying to kill Spyro, and none of us are trying to do a damn thing about it!"

"I think I have to agree with Hunter" Byrd said rather calmly. "Though none of us can be sure of Malefor's intentions, let's not forget that our plans to invade Artisans have been compromised. The Sorceress knows where we are and what we plan to do. We need to relocate and regroup, now. And having Malefor around will increase our odds of surviving an ordeal with the Sorceress, since he's proved he's a match against her. For now, we have no choice but to trust him as long as he doesn't kill Spyro."

"What, we can't stop our plans to retake the Dragon Realms. We cannot abandon all the Dragons there." Cynder complained.

"We have no choice," Byrd responded, "The Sorceress and her armies are already waiting for us to fall into her trap. The Professor is the only one who knows how to free the Dragons trapped in Crystal, and he cannot be a liability while we combat the Sorceress' forces there. We have to abandon freeing the Dragons for now."

"I can agree that we need to postpone freeing the Dragons in the Dragon Realms, but trusting Malefor is way too risky. I won't allow him to kill any of you." Thomas said sternly.

"Listen," Hunter said comfortingly to the elder Dragon, "Your son may be dangerous, but I'm no saint, either. I've killed plenty of Rhynocs and don't regret a single kill. This isn't about right and wrong anymore, or about your feelings. Malefor has rescued you and Magnus' life whether you admit it or not, found Spyro's 'important' dragonfly, identified the traitor amongst this group, and can evidently go toe to toe with the Sorceress. And now I've seen him unlock a power that was dormant in Spyro. It may not be perfect, but I think we need him to win."

"That dormant power is the exact reason why the Sorceress and Malefor are the way they are." Thomas responded angrily. "It's a dark surge of murderous intent. Spyro is just as dangerous as his uncle while stuck in that state of mind."

"Well the only way Spyro's going to beat the Sorceress is if he 'intends' to murder that bitch in cold blood." Hunter responded coldly.

* * *

"Bianca, you better have a really good reason for being here early" The Sorceress said quite angrily as she sat on her thrown chair she had graciously delivered to Artisans via some slaves. The Throne now sat on the ashes of the Senate Building in Artisans. The Seven Power Gems were floating in a circle above her, slowly rotating clockwise around the Sorceress. Although it was around three hours past noon, the sky remained grey and cloudy.

"I… was discovered while at the rebels meeting. I had to flee before I was caught. I destroyed the portal on the beach as I teleported here, so they couldn't follow me or learn where I went."

The Sorceress got up from her lavish throne and stared at her spy in contempt. The Rabbit shrunk and put up her hands in a submissive gesture, which postponed her execution on the spot.

"Wait my liege. I was not made by any of the rebels at their meeting, but instead by the large purple dragon."

Malefor, the Sorceress though as anger swelled inside her. She had a sneaking suspicion that that damned dragon had died way too easy, plus there wasn't a body to confirm her kill. He was still alive, but why did he intentionally throw his fight and allow me to take the Seven Power Gems? It must have had something to do with the visions these Gems were showing Malefor. Malefor had had the seven Power Gems in his possession for six years prior to their confrontation, as he reviled to her, he was trying to gain access to the Convexity as she had tried millennia ago. And how did he know that Bianca was a spy for me, they had never met? He knows too much about the future. She needs to get to that Island right now, but "Bianca" had destroyed the portal.

"You've outlived your usefulness, girl" The Sorceress said as she raised her right index finger at the bunny and fired a concentrated beam that intercepted the girls chest and pierced clean though her. She collapsed to the ground, dead before she fell completely.

"Ooh, seems as if the new recruit didn't last the week." Ripto said laughing as he approached the Sorceress.

"And what do you want, unicorn?" The Sorceress said disinterested. The remark was to make fun of the fact that Ripto had a single horn protruding from his head. As much as the comment infuriated him, Ripto needed to control his ego in the presence of the Sorceress. She could kill him just as easily as she did Bianca.

"If I may make a suggestion Sorceress, we may not be able to teleport to the Professor's laboratory since fluffy over her destroyed the portal, but that also means the rebels can't teleport either. We now know approximately where the Professor's secrete laboratory is, and since the island is close to Summer Falls, we can simply wait for the rebels to make their way to shore and ambush them once they arrive. We'll have all the rebels and Dragons in one place for the killing. I can even let you know when we ambush the enemy, so you can personally finish of Spyro and his grandfather."

The Sorceress thought for a moment. She didn't know exactly why Malefor was at the rebels gathering, other than he was assisting them somehow. But he had six of the Power Gems already, why surrender them to me and then help the resistance. She knew he couldn't have carried about their lives at all. It didn't make sense, and it was making her nervous. She didn't show her anxiety to her subordinate, however. She instead muddled over his idea and gave him the go-ahead.

"I want you to take Gnasty and his forces with you, though, Ripto" The Sorceress said just before Ripto was prepared to leave.

"Sorceress, I assure you my Rhynocs forces do not need the assistance of those repulsive Gnorks."

"I don't care how you feel, Ripto. Tell Gnasty that he and his army can resume destroying Dragon Statues once they succeed in destroying the resistance. Their new territory comes with a price. Be sure to remind them of that."

"As you wish my liege" Ripto responded, bowing to show his respect. He turned around and walked towards Artisan's portal. He gripped his Uka-Uka mask in his palm as he left the Sorceress. He was supposed to be the most feared mage in existence. It was his destiny, he was sure of it. But all throughout his life, he and the Rhynocs were at the mercy of the Sorceress. They had served her loyal for centuries, been her mercenaries, expanding her empire and doing the dirty work she didn't bother herself with. They enforced her rule and murdered hundreds of thousands to ensure her despotism remained unchallenged. It felt utterly degrading. But he knew he was no match against the Sorceress. Her control over the Power Gems was to complete. Plus it didn't help that she was immortal. The only way to overthrow her was to kill her yourself, but Ripto was not capable of it. His father had tried, and was utterly destroyed. She then promptly reminded the Rhynocs of their place and they never revolted against her again. But Ripto had known that the Sorceress was nervous about these two Purple Dragons that have risen to challenge her. They were his only hope in defeating the Sorceress. Then the world could be his.

* * *

What Spyro had become was what Malefor was when he first obtained six Power Gems. He was a true Purple Dragon. They continued to try to kill each other, but neither could gain an advantage over the other. But it had become evident as their fight dragged on that Spyro had lost control of his new power. It was controlling him, not the other way around. Malefor could understand why, the dark form was hard to control anyway. But he needed Spyro alive and thinking straight if he was going to fulfill the visions the Gems had shown him. He conjured a shield to block Spyro vicious flame breath, and then landed on the ground near the laboratory. Spyro was not yielding and perused Malefor as he landed. Malefor unleashed purple beam of concentrated energy from his mouth, which forced Dark Spyro to retreat from the attack and he landed on the ground. Sparx then appeared from inside the laboratory and flew towards Spyro. Spyro looked at the Dragonfly indifferently with his glowing eyes, almost as if he didn't recognize the creature. Cynder, the Elder Dragons, and some of the resistance fighters also came outside during this momentary ceasefire. Once Sparx came closer to Spyro, he hesitated and started to remember who the Dragonfly was and what he meant to him. It was at this point that Cynder rushed over to Spyro's location.

"Spyro, please, I need you to come back." She said frighten as she looked at the horrifying dark Dragon that stood before him. Spyro glanced at her with his empty eyes, and then looked at Malefor again, who was waiting patiently for Spyro next move. Spyro growled loudly and was prepared to launch at him, when Cynder got in front of him and prevented him from doing so. "Please Spyro; I know you can't stand to be like this. This isn't who you are." Spyro looked at her again, and the dark aura seemed to diminish a little. Cynder then put her front paw on Spyro's shoulder. The genital contact shocked him out of his nightmare and the dark aura and glowing in his eyes disappeared completely. He collapsed to the ground, exhausted.

"It was… so hard. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Spyro said between breaths as Malefor appeared several feet to Cynder and his right.

"I'm glad to see you've finally come to acknowledge the power hidden inside you, Spyro. When you face the Sorceress, I hope you use it. You'll need it." Malefor said as a dark portal manifested in front of him. He walked through it and disappeared. Thomas then approached his grandson.

"Spyro, do you feel okay." Thomas asked concernedly.

"What, what did I become, Thomas?" He asked as he shook in fear, exhausted and drained of energy.

"You became what I embraced and feared, my grandson. You're ready."


	38. Interception

Chapter 37: Intercepted

CRASH watched the sun slowly rise over the horizon, lost upon his thoughts. It was only a week ago that he was lost in a spiraling depression. He had to thank Spyro for helping him climb out of that hole. But now as he was pondering so early in the morning, all he could think about was his vision. He had it again while he was asleep, and this time it shocked him awake. It left him rattled; he walked outside of his and the Dragon's hut and proceeded to the beach. Aku-Aku's eyes were mildly glowing, which usually was a sign for something… But surprisingly, Sparx had also followed him outside and was trailing him to the beach. His presences, though unexpected, was comforting. His demeanor and warming glow just made you feel happier. Crash could understand why Spyro had grown to love this little guy, but why was he following me? Crash of course had to be thankful for the Dragonfly, for he had saved his life months ago. But Sparx also is the trigger for Crash to see visions in the past. And as he looked softly at the Dragonfly now, he again was pounded with a vision; he collapsed to his knees, hands firmly on his head to do something to alleviate his headache. It didn't last long nor was it very clear, but Crash could understand what this vision implied. It was the Sorceress, and something to do with him and Sparx being the cause of… change. The vision was too hazy to pick up on details. After that, he saw the red notebook again, and this time he could make out the title: "Atlas". The reverie subsided, and he was left clearheaded yet a little groggy on the beach.

He sat still on the beach for five minutes, taking in the warm glow of the sun as it rose further into the sky with Aku-Aku and Sparx accompanying him. Crash could hear a door open the footsteps of four feet making their way towards the beach. It was Spyro. "There you are, Sparx, I was wondering where you went. Yawn! What are you doing up so early, Crash?" Spyro was rubbing his eyes as Crash contemplated telling Spyro the truth or not. Crash still wasn't sure if what he saw meant what he thought it meant. That red notebook worried him as much as his vision of the Sorceress, because apparently he reads the Atlas in the future, the distant future. Sparx flew off Crash's shoulder and resumed flying around Spyro, energetic and making full circles around the young Dragon he called brother. Sparx's energy put Crash's mind at rest. The future was the future, no need in worrying about it too much. "I thought you only watched the sunset, Crash? Being up this early can't be easy."

"I guess I couldn't sleep today" Crash responded with his SAD.

"Thinking about your pa… future again?" Spyro asked a little worriedly.

"No. More about _our _future."

"_Our _future? You're not going to propose, are you?"

Crash laughed at that remark, and Spyro was at ease again. "I love you Spyro." Crash's pause between this sentence and his next caused Spyro to be a little nervous, "but like a brother." Spyro nudged him with his front paw and joined him on the beach. And although they both were joking, them being a family wasn't. Crash hand meant what he said, and he knew that Spyro understood. They didn't say anything after that for a minute, and then Crash resumed conversation. "I was thinking about the Sorceress, Spyro." This gained one hundred percent of Spyro's attention as he snapped his head towards Crash. "It's been a while since you defeated Gnasty…"

"_We _defeated Gnasty."

"Since _we _defeated Gnasty. But Dionaca is still alive. She is still a major threat. And she's powerful."

"Who? You mean the Sorceress?"

Crash was refereeing to the Sorceress, but why did he call her Dionaca? Must of had something to do with the vision, Crash then recalled. Sparx appeared in Crash's peripheral vision, and upon looking at him, felt thoughts appear in his head about the near future. Again he saw it, Spyro and the Sorceress, going at it… the darkness about it. He could feel what Dark Spyro was. It worried him, and apparently he was going to, supposed to change it somehow.

"Crash, you look terrified." Spyro said, which snapped Crash out of his thoughts.

"I'm worried for you. That's all."

Spyro looked at Crash, this time with a smile. "I look forward to that day, Crash. When I finally put an end to her reign and avenge my people. And who knows, you might even be there to help."

Crash doubted he could do anything useful against a being that powerful. The doubt triggered a though, the Sorceress derives power from the Gems. Aku-Aku must have being communicating with him, it felt like it his presence in his mind. At the Time Twister Machine... the… convexity. That was the change.

Spyro, Cynder, Flame, Ember, and Crash had gone to the portal in Magic Crafter's realm once it was around noon, ready to go home. Magnus was there to see them off. Spyro and Magnus exchanged a few words, and then Spyro activated the portal and set the destination as Artisans.

"I've got to say Spyro, a vacation was a pretty good idea" Flame said as they were ready to return home.

"A change in scenery just has a way of letting you unwind" Ember responded.

"And I'm glad this vacation to Dragon Shores was as relaxing as promised. Thanks again for the suggestion, Magnus."

"Don't thank me Spyro," Magnus replied kindly, "the idea was Thomas'."

Although Thomas was not supposed to have revealed to Spyro that he was his grandfather, having someone around who knew and loved Ignitus as much as he did made his absence bearable.

The group walked into the portal.

* * *

"We've been working on this portal for weeks, Professor. I don't think we'll ever get it to work." Sheila complained as she placed the tiny orb in her hands on a nearby table.

"Oh come on Sheila" the Professor responded, "So long as there's hope, I'll continue to try." He kept reading the red book that was in front of him. In it detailed how the portals of the long lost Dragons functioned. Six years ago, a young purple Dragon appeared in Summer Falls unexpectedly. It was proof that they were still alive. It was very difficult for the Professor not to give up hope. After Elora's death, he was stricken with grief. So young and full of life, the perfect lab assistant. She wanted to learn and had more hope than even he has now. Her father, a solider, had died in the war against the Sorceress while her mother was still pregnant with Elora. And Elora's mother had also died while in labor with Elora. She had forced the Professor, made him promise to take care of her no matter what as the will to live slipped from her. Her labor was unexpected and a two months premature. Elora was so small (even compared to the Professor) when he held her in his arms after delivering her from her mother. She never had a chance to grow up normally, but the Professor tried his best. He thought he did a good job and would have made her parents proud. He knew both of them so well. But he had failed; she had died while under his protection. He had passed out during the Sorceress' attack six years ago, and when he woke, he found Elora dead in front of him, her neck in an unnatural direction. Barring her was the hardest thing the Professor ever had to do. All he could think of was the promise he made to Elora's dying mother, and how he failed.

The Professor had to find the Dragons. It was what the Atlas had told him to do. This book was magical; its text changing for whomever read it. He had stumbled upon it a couple of months before he found the Power Gem in Avalar twenty-six years ago. Ever since then, he had his purpose. Help the citizens of Avalar in any way defeat the Sorceress. Getting the Dragon's portals to work was how he was going to do so.

"I know your tiered, Sheila, and I know how much you want to return home to the goats in the mountains. But this is important work we're doing here. I know these portals will aid the Resistance immensely. And I think I'm on the verge of a breakthrough."

"You're right, Professor. And I agreed to help you. So I shouldn't be belly-aching."

"Now that's the spirit, Sheila. Hand me that orb, why don't you."

Sheila reached out with her small hands and grabbed the orb. She hopped over to the Professor, and he placed the Orb in a grove that that marked the top of the arc the Professor had constructed. It was an artificial portal. The one in Summer Falls had been destroyed when the Sorceress attacked, so the Professor had to make another one.

"Alright, If my calculations and basic knowledge of magic are correct, that orb should act as a beacon to the other portals, and allow this portal to be interconnected to the magical paths that link all the portals in the world. All we have to do is instruct the portal to turn on." This part the Professor was most skeptical about. He was reading from the Atlas, and it told him to hold out his arm and will the portal to work. If you could interface with the ancient Dragon magic, then you could tap into its supply and wield it yourself. What was this, a test of worthiness? The Professor thought of Elora, and why he was motivated to help defend Avalar at all costs. He took a deep breath and raised his right hand. The portal did nothing. "I guess I'll just have to keep trying." The Professor said rather depressed. He had kept up the effort to invent and persevere for so long, but the effort continued to yield little to no practical results. He was ready to give up, finally, at this moment in time. What could I do now?

"Professor, I think you should get some sleep. And tomorrow, will keep trying." Sheila said reassuring him. She looked at him, and then looked at the painting of the Professor and Elora that was prominently displayed above the portal arc in his lab. The Professor looked at what Sheila was staring at, and he felt ashamed for giving up. I will not fail; I swore on my life that I would make this work. "You want some tea before you go to sleep, Professor."

"Thank you, Sheila. And thank you for helping on short notice. It does get a little lonely around here."

"You've been through a lot and have done so much for me and the rest of Avalar. The least I could do was help you when you needed it. Elora would be proud, I know I am."

They both turned around and headed for the kitchen when a light from behind stopped them. The Portal was active.

"What in tarnation?" Sheila said in a panic.

The Professor quickly jogged to a sensor he had attached to the portal, which was taking data readings from the green orb he had installed on the portal.

"Well I'll be darned." The Professor said as a very familiar purple dragon walked through the portal and froze once he noticed something was off about his destination. Three other Dragons followed him plus an orange creature.

"What in the… where are we?" Flame said confusedly.

"Well, it's been a long time, hasn't it, Spyro" the Professor said candidly.

Spyro looked to his right, and upon seeing the Professor and the walls the made up a very familiar scene, a memory bubbled to the surface.

"Is this… Summer Falls?" Spyro asked nervously, although he already knew the answer.

"It is mate. And I recon you four be Dragons." Sheila said as she greeting the guests in the Professor's laboratory. "Can't say I recognized the orange fellow, though."

"Why did we end up here, Spyro?" Ember asked.

Cynder walked up to get beside Spyro and spoke to him softly. "Is this where Ignitus and Malefor went to six years ago?"

"It… is." Spyro almost whispered as he took in his surroundings. An overwhelming sensation of sadness was beginning to overwhelm him. "Professor, right?" Spyro spoke with a hint of sorrow in his tone.

"Yes, Spyro. It's been six years since we last meet. In those six years, a lot has changed. But I'm glad to see you again. It means that Avalar now has hope."

Crash was looking not at the Professor, but at the book that he was holding. On the cover it said "Atlas."


	39. Uneasy Alliances

Chapter 38: Uneasy Alliances

Gnasty and Ripto were aboard a boat that was making its way towards an island that Ripto's naval reconnaissance identified as the gathering place for the Avalar Resistance. He had convinced the Sorceress that he could ambush the unsuspecting rebels and alert her once he did so. But Ripto had different plans.

"I am not agreeing to this, Ripto. Defying the Sorceress is certain death. There's no reason for us Gnorks to turn against her, after what she's done for us."

"You moron! Have you forgotten who banished you and the Dragons from the Forgotten Realms a thousand years ago? And what do you think will happen now that you've pledged your allegiance to the Sorceress? Take my life as an example. I was born into her subjugation. And the Rhynocs themselves have never been free for generations. It's either obedience or obliteration with the Sorceress. Ask my father. Your species will be under her control for the rest of its existence."

"You know this is suicide. And adding the resistance? Are you insane!?"

"Spoken like a true coward."

"Why you little, I'll crush you!"

"Enough" Ripto yelled as the talisman on his neck began to glow. "I knew you were nothing but a coward! You and you people were under the control of Dragons for centuries and instead of taking care of them yourself, forming an army and killing them all, you did nothing and allowed the Sorceress to do everything for you. And now you're willing to be a slave for the rest of your life instead of fighting your captors yourself. You're pathetic!"

"And asking the remaining purple Dragon who's a toddler is brave and courageous!?"

"I'm neither a coward, an idiot, nor full of hubris Gnasty. I know that I cannot take on the Sorceress. But that does not means I will allow her to control me any longer. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. And don't try to act as if you're superior to the Dragons you allowed to control you your entire life, even with borrowed power from the Sorceress."

This little Rhynoc had insulted Gnasty, but for some reason he couldn't attack him. His words were the truth. As much as it tore through Gnasty's ego, Ripto was right. He thought he had acted as a brave leader for his people and finally uprooted the control the Dragons had over Gnorks. But in reality he was a coward. And Gnasty knew now that he had traded one set of oppressors for another one.

"Go warn the others Gnasty. We're arriving. I hope I've convinced you of your cowardice and persuaded you to scrounge up whatever courage you have and join me. Although you and your people may be repulsive, you may still prove useful."

Ripto headed to the front of the ship, he was about to drop the cloaking spell masking this ships presences from those who were gathered on the beach.

* * *

Spyro finally got up from where Malefor had left him. Cynder, Sparx, Thomas, Magnus, Hunter, Byrd, Bentley, Sheila, the Professor, and a few others had gathered on the beach after Malefor had vanished. All of them had witnessed Spyro's terrifying transformation. Cynder looked the most frightened, for she was the one who got up close to him and snapped him out of his trance. But a trance wasn't an accurate term for what had happened to Spyro. It was a transformation in form as well as an alteration of consciousness. Spyro remembered it so well, Malefor killing him, his lightning enveloping his entire body, causing the most intense pain he had ever felt as well as what he was saying to him. How he was a coward who abandoned both his father and grandfather when they needed him most. Why it was for his tentativeness that the Sorceress would do what Malefor was doing to him at that moment, slaughter him. And then something in him just snapped. It was instantaneous; a surge of hatred and anger swelled from inside of him and the darkness took over. All he could think of was murdering the Dragon that stood in front of him. And the scariest part was that he didn't fight the sensation, he embraced it. The power… their fight would have continued until only one of them was left. But then he saw and felt Sparx and Cynder's presence. Cynder has snapped him out of it. It didn't matter what she had said, for Spyro didn't really care. It was her fear and love, her concern and compassion for him. He heard it in her voice and felt it once she touched him. And then the darkness subsided.

"I can't become that, ever again" Spyro said exhausted. "I couldn't fight it." Cynder was still close to him, comforting him and helping him stand up.

"I don't think you have a choice, Spyro." Hunter refuted. He stared at the young Dragon. The doubt he had for him now gone.

"No, that power will corrupt Spyro." Magnus responded.

"If you can defeat the Sorceress, Magnus, then by all means go for it. But everyone here is counting on Spyro to defeat the Sorceress, and now he can. But you won't let him."

"Hunter, I can't ever become that again." Spyro yelled angrily.

"You know what, Malefor was right about you Spyro." Hunter replied equally as angry. "You want to avenge you people, but when that moment will come, you'll hesitate, and it will cost you your life."

"Back off Hunter," Cynder said furiously and approached him. Hunter didn't flinch. "You don't know anything about Spyro."

"Enough" Byrd interrupted everyone calmly but with authority in his voice. "This meeting and its location has been jeopardized. We need to relocate and re-strategize as soon as possible. But Spyro, when we do march against the Sorceress, when our final battle ensues and you face the Sorceress, I need to know that you will not hold back. That you will do anything you need to kill her. Only then will I authorize my forces to attack. If not, then we do this without you. Understood?"

Byrd's sudden demand made Spyro think. Maybe this dark power was the only way he could be a match for the Sorceress. And if that was true, then he had no choice but to use it.

"I will." Spyro responded, to the surprise of Cynder.

"Professor" Byrd than ordered, "How long will it take you to fix the portal here?"

"Ugh, with some help, I should be able to rebuild the arch within the hour. The problem will be reconnecting to magical channels of Dragon magic. Thomas and Magnus should be able to assist me with that."

"Good, get started immediately. I want everyone off this island before the day is out."

It was then that A Rhynoc and Gnasty just suddenly appeared on the beach, with a fairly large wooden ship behind them which was covered in metal plating. There presences startled everyone. It was as James feared, the spy had alerted the Sorceress of this meetings location and she had sent Rhynocs to kill them all. It was the small Rhynoc on the beach that talked first.

"Greetings, Avalar Resistance. Before you do something rash, I would like to talk with you first."

Spyro couldn't recognize the small creature in the purple robe, but he did know that the tall green thing to his left was a Gnork. It had to be Gnasty. Hunter pulled out his bow and armed it with an arrow.

"Ripto, I have no intentions in talking with you. You and your Rhynocs have murdered hundreds of Cheetahs."

"Yes, and you must be the oh so elusive Hunter. You've dispatched a lot of Rhynocs as well. I guess that makes us even." Ripto waved his hand, and Hunter's bow caught on fire, prompting Hunter to drop it before he was burned. The whole island was surrounded by ships similar to the one behind Ripto. There was no way out of this, and the rebels her knew it. This might be their final stance. The Sorceress had found them and was going to kill them all without even having to do it herself.

"Hunter, Spyro, Everyone, do not attack Ripto! Understood?"

"You can't be serious, Byrd!" Agent 9 said loudly from behind. "I see a Rhynoc! Let me at him!" Tantum had his pistol out, ready to fire, but his father restrained him before he could do something foolish. Tantum wasn't going to avenge his fallen brothers and sisters today.

"You can't be serious, James." Hunter said with scorn in his voice. "This man is responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths. Cheetahs, Monkeys, Penguins alike. And you're going to do nothing!"

"We are surrounded, and I am not going to attack if he does not have hostile intent… even if he did kill my wife."

Hunter could see it now, the rage being concealed behind the small Penguin's face. It was taking everything he had not to attack Ripto and the Gnork beside him.

"I'm pretty sure I don't need to introduce myself" Ripto said somewhat arrogantly. "But I am Ripto, the leader of the Rhynoc army that has been under the control of the Sorceress for countless centuries. I'm not going to justify my people's actions. What happened in the past is not important. What I offer you is. I plan on turning on the Sorceress. No longer will I or my people be under her control. Gnasty and his people will aid me in my conquest. The Dragons over there may take his actions as unacceptable, but in reality Gnasty's decision to entrap the Dragons in a crystalline spell, though a ploy of the Sorceress, may have spared their lives. With the Dragons' crystallized, the Sorceress has not bothered finishing them off, although she is unaware that her spell is reversible. I was sent here to destroy and/or capture you. But I instead offer you a chance to join me and the Gnorks in overthrowing the Sorceress. If you wish to allow you ignorance and hatred of me and the Rhynocs cloud your judgment, fine. But the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

No one could believe what they were hearing. The mercenary of the Sorceress, the creature that was responsible for carrying out her dirty work, was going to help them.

"How can we possibly trust you?" Hunter said with absolute hatred in his words.

"You can't. But you don't have a choice. We leave immediately. The Sorceress dies today."


	40. Instruments of Destruction

Chapter 39: Instruments of Destruction

"So that orange creature is really your creation?" Gnasty asked as he stretched his arms. Apparently there were devices in his chest that were acting as an artificial lung so he could breathe, and a bridge which completed the neural pathways in his spinal column so he could walk again. He had also received artificial skin via a "skin graft," which replaced the burned tissue courtesy of Spyro. It was incredible. There were all kinds of technologies being imported from Artisans which was quickly incorporated into the Gnorks home world in the Realm of the Dragons, but the level at which was required to resuscitate Gnasty after his encounter with Spyro was incomprehensible to him. And it was all thanks to this old, decrepit Doctor, a kind of creature he had never seen before.

"Subject C1 was a mutation of a non-sentient creature. During my studies of the Power Gems, I once hypothesized that sentience was brought to this planet because of the Power Gems themselves, which I found out were older than the planet itself. I tried to apply that theory on Subject C1 and it gave him intelligence. His transformation was because of the Power Gems. The possibilities of the gems are limitless: time travel, genetic manipulation, interdimensional travel, unlimited energy, immortality. But I made a mistake in coming to the past. I couldn't figure out the magic of the Gems, so I sought the advice of the Sorceress. My plans were ruined by 'the orange creature.'"

Cortex had to be on the verge of death. His skin was covered in sore spots, saggy, wrinkly, and void of color. Cortex had said that he was a prisoner of Ripto for thirty two years. And it was because of him that Ripto and the Rhynocs possessed the technology they sold to the Gnorks.

"Ah, I see you've made acquaintance with the brilliant Dr. Cortex" Ripto said as he strutted into Gnasty's recover room. Have you heard him ramble about his grand ambitions in the future? Quite a laugh if I don't say so myself. Don't let his delusions or his age fool you, though; he is quite useful. It's why he's been my favorite prisoner for all these years. Isn't that right, Cortex?"

Cortex didn't responded, he didn't need to.

"So Ripto," Gnasty asked, "why did Cortex save my life?"

"I was asked to revive you by the Sorceress. She tasked me the job because of my abilities as a mage and a scientist. You see, she doesn't know that I have a very special prisoner in my captivity. She thinks I'm responsible for the technology that has been pumping out of the Rhynoc military. And she thinks your life is valuable enough because of you role as leader of the Gnorks. The Sorceress doesn't exactly train, build, and deploy the armies she "acquires." She simply tells the leaders to comply or she kills the whole army. It can get pretty messy. For example, the Bunnies of the Savanah's were recently 'annexed' by the Sorceress. They were well known for their mastery of magic, and defended themselves from the Sorceress for almost a thousand years by masking their location via a barrier that hid their location from the Sorceress. But recently, the Sorceress finally broke though. It's probably because she now has four Power Gems. She killed almost ninety percent of all Bunnies in existence within two days. And now the remaining Bunnies are acting as her spies. One of them is currently in Artisans right now, as the Avalar Resistance finally found a way to contact the cowardly Dragons that have hidden from the Sorceress in the same way the Bunnies tried to. History has a way of repeating itself, I suppose."

"Why are you telling me this?" Gnasty then asked.

"Because you and the rest of the Gnorks are just the latest addition to the Sorceress' ever growing army. Your life being saved comes at a price, you know. You already failed to enslave all the Dragons in the Dragon Realms, so you're on a short leash. Come with me, we have a new assignment. The Sorceress wish's to speak with us. As for you, Cortex, you're dismissed. We'll talk soon, if you live long enough."

Cortex walked out of the room. He didn't need an escort to his prison. He couldn't escape. He had given up several decades ago.

Gnasty suddenly became a little nervous. He had failed the Sorceress, and all because of a baby Dragon. But she had order his life to be spared, so she probably wasn't going to kill him. Probably. 

* * *

Bianca was so nervous, she was shaking. Almost all of the Avalar Resistance was here: the Cheetahs, the Monkeys, the Penguins, the Yetis, the remaining Kangaroos, some Fauns, Lions, Pandas, and so many more. She, acting as the liaison of the Bunnies, was supposed to aid this resistance in any way she could magically. No one here knew that her entire civilization was destroyed by the Sorceress and how she was being blackmailed by her. If she didn't comply, her entire family would be killed. And there wasn't a way to save them or rescue them. They were already in a state of limbo, all the Sorceress had to do was will it to be so, and they would all die instantaneously.

It happened so fast, the barrier around her village dropping, the Rhynocs marching down the streets, killing Bunnies left and right. And the Sorceress, with four of the legendary Power Gems, leveling her home. She killed the King, her father, right in front of her with her mother, brother, and two sisters helpless to do anything. And the whole time, the Sorceress was smiling; it literally took no effort to burn her life to the ground. She had spared Bianca's life simply so she could be an instrument for more death and destruction. But what choice did she have. It was either her family plus the rest of the Bunnies or the innocent people gathered here in Artisans. And knowing the Sorceress, she and her family would be killed as soon as she had claimed the entire world as her own. She was only prolonging the inevitable.

Bianca's two objectives were to lower the barrier surrounding Artisans from the Sorceress, and to capture the Dragonfly known as Sparx. The barrier keeping the Sorceress out of the Dragon Realms was remarkably similar to the one the Bunnies had used. Red, a traitorous Elder Dragon, was tasked with teaching Bianca on how to drop the barrier. Red himself was somewhere nearby, keeping up his act and slowly waiting for everything to go to hell once she did what she was supposed to do. It made her sick to her stomach. How could a creature be that greedy and blatantly careless for the rest of his species' survival? Sure, she was essentially causing the same thing her for a whole lot of innocent people. But Red was doing it willingly! She felt like coming clean, but she knew she couldn't. No matter what Bianca chose to do, she would end up causing the deaths of her family and everyone here would most likely still die once the Sorceress found and murdered them, whether it was here or in front of their families if they escaped. It was only a matter of time. 

* * *

So far it had only been talk about taking on the Sorceress. Now it was happening. After his vacation ended up placing him in Summer Falls, Spyro learned of the Avalar Resistance, of all their struggles over the past millennia. How the Professor was trying to rally this fractured resistance though his inventions. What happened to Elora and what she meant to him. The hardships of the Penguins, the Monkeys, the Yetis, and the Kangaroos. How so much death and suffering had occurred because the Dragons failed to stop the Sorceress a thousand years ago. It all felt like it was his fault somehow. The Dragons had been hiding in the Dragon Realms for too long. Spyro took his findings to the Council of Elders and demanded that they help them. No longer was the time for hiding and waiting. Maybe he was too young to face the Sorceress, but the Dragons had an Army in the Peace Keeper's Realm, manipulators of the Astro plane in the Dream Weaver's Realm and masters of the elemental magic's in the Magic Crafter's Realm. They couldn't wait while the rest of the world burned. They were going to act.

All these different species mingling with the Dragons was a strange experience for most of the elder Dragons. They could recall briefly through the stories of their elders who described the creatures that inhabited all of the Forgotten Realms. But now they were right in front of them, and there was a palpable feeling of shame from most of the Dragons. After all, they had been living in relative peace for a thousand years, while the rest of the world suffered once they fled from the Sorceress.

The resistance had also found three Power Gems, which currently were sitting in the Senate Building. Spyro had taken the opportunity to look at the large Gems along with Thomas and the Professor. Once, when he was little, the Professor had told him how he believed Spyro could defeat the Sorceress because of these crystals. All they did was make him nervous.

Crash was alone again at his beach while all of the resistance was in Artisans. He had met most of them, heard their stories of pain and suffering. And wanted to do anything he could to help. But he just needed to get away, for he was having a panic attack. It happened while Spyro and Crash were talking with Hunter, Sheila, and James Byrd. His visions were getting worse. He slipped away and ended up here again… his sanctuary. The visions weren't getting any clearer, and he still didn't understand why he was having them. But their intensity was growing and started to make him worry. They were physically causing him discomfort. He couldn't catch his breath; his heart was beating way to fast. He was going to pass out if he didn't get his under control. Crash breathed in and out rhythmically, trying to alleviate his stress, but it was barely working. He dropped to the ground and gripped sand firmly in his hands. After about five minutes, he was able to relax. He sat down, exacerbated and perspiring. He wiped the sweat from his brow and stared at the ocean. What was wrong with me, Crash though.

Spyro landed on the beach beside him, though Crash had heard him coming from a good distance.

"Crash, what's up with you? You ran off in a panic." Spyro seemed a little agitated.

"I'm fine." Crash said with his SAD. Even though it produced its usual monotone voice, Spyro could see through Crash's lie.

"No you're not. Now tell me what's wrong. You've been acting strange ever since we ended up in Avalar ten days ago."

"I'm… worried… about you."

"I'm worried about myself, too. But that doesn't explain why you ran off just now."

Sparx, floating around Spyro as usual, looked at Crash, and Crash again was hit with another vision. He cried out and put his hands on his head.

"Crash! What's wrong? Just tell me."

The vision this time was different. It was clearer. As he keeled over in pain, it played in his head. He saw a small Rhynoc with a very ominous talisman on his neck. It functions similar to the one he was wearing right now. And he was coming. He was going to be her in Artisans very soon. He and the Sorceress were coming! Today! They were going to break through the barrier that kept them out. Two traitors amongst the rebels and Dragons were the cause of this. The red Elder Dragon, and… the Bunny. Everyone here was in danger. But something else was going to happen, as well. The final confrontation between Spyro and Sorceress.

"Crash! Are you hurt?"

Crash vaulted from the floor, clearheaded and prepared to do what he could to save as many lives as possible.

"We need to get back to Artisans as quickly as possible. Everyone there is in danger!"

"What?"

"Now!"

Crash got on Spyro and he flew them over the tree line and towards Artisans. As they were flying, the sky darkened and large fracture lines appeared in the sky, as a loud ominous said could be heard while the lines continued. Spyro, now alert to the danger, first though another Crystalline spell was happening, but Crash quickly explained what was happening.

"It's the barrier your ancestors created millennia ago, it's collapsing."

"How is that possible? Is the Sorceress coming?"

"Yes, but it's not here breaching through the barrier, it's both Red the Dragon and a Bunny from the Avalar Resistance that is to blame."

"Red! How do you know this?"

They were getting close to Artisans now, from their position, they could all of the creatures gathered in the courtyard, wondering what the hell was happening, scared, and afraid. They landed, and Crash got of Spyro and headed for the Senate Building with Spyro following behind. The portal in front of the building activated, and then grew in size, engulfing the arc and spreading out wide. Rhynocs began storming out of the portal which caused the crowd gathered near the Senate Building to disperse, while Crash had to retreat from the first wave of Rhynocs. Several other portals began forming in other places, and now Gnorks and Rhynocs were emerging from all over the place. 

* * *

She had done the wrong thing, she knew now, but it was too late. The barrier surrounding the Dragon Realms had fallen and now everyone here was going to die. Bianca had also discovered that the remaining Power Gems were in the Senate Building here in Artisans. Red had told her that he was now going to take the Gems and bring them to the Forgotten Realms, while she stayed behind and completed her second objective. As the three Gems began to levitate around the old Dragon, an orange creature barged through a window and stood between Red and the exit, and he was followed by a young purple Dragon. Spyro, she presumed. This was the Dragon that the Sorceress was worried about, while one of two purple Dragons. Sparks was hovering around Spyro, as predicted, this was here opportunity to capture him.

"Betrayal, Red. What did the Sorceress promise you? How did she bribe you Red?" Spyro yelled angrily.

Bianca noticed that the orange creature was staring at her. And she noticed the necklace that he was wearing, as well. Was that what she thought it was?

"I wouldn't expect you to understand Spyro. But I have transcended the Dragons and this world's problems. I now seek greater power and purpose. And that starts by going though you."

A beam of purple energy began to slowly pool in his mouth, as he tapped into the power of the Gems. He fired, but his aim was off, and the Bandicoot and Dragon were able to dodge the incoming attack. Crash slide underneath the table while Spyro took to the air and landed on the table. This was her opportunity. Bianca pulled out a glass mason jar and unsealed the lid. She then shouted in her people's ancient language.

Capture the Dragonfly!

Sparks went limp and fell from his flight, before being drawn into the jar. Spyro shocked at what just happened, was distracted long enough for Red to strike him with his claws and sent him bleeding to the ground. Red conjured another malicious blast derived from the power of the Gems floating around him and fired it at an injured Spyro. Before the blast could strike Spyro, Crash got in-between them and Aku-Aku summoned a shield. The blast made contact with the green shield, and the shield held. Aku-Aku was now siphoning energy from the Gems as well.

"What, you think the Spirit of Order can protect you, creature?" Red said menacingly.

So it was the Spirit of Order entangled in that artifact, Bianca thought. And almost as if drawn to the altercation, Ripto appeared standing at the doorway of the Senate Building. The deflected energy of Red's attack had destroyed most of the building, but Ripto seemed unimpressed. He was the current bearer of the Spirit of Chaos.

"Oh, I see you've found the Power Gems, Red, along with Spyro and that orange creature the Sorceress was shown by her profit."

"As a matter fact, I did" Red responded.

Spyro was still badly wounded, with parallel lines of blood marking where Red's claws had dug deeply into his skin. Crash remained by his side. Outside, it was total pandemonium. All of the Dragons and rebels had scrambled to take on the onslaught of the Rhynoc army, and were holding their own. But the Rhynocs and Gnorks just kept coming.

Crash looked at the Rhynoc before him, and recognized the artifact dangling from his neck. It was the opposite of the one he was wearing. Although he had just learned of its existence minutes ago, he knew how dangerous it was.

"So, are you going to bring those gems to the Sorceress, now?" Ripto asked as he stared at Crash and Spyro. He hadn't noticed the talisman on Crash's neck, yet.

"As a matter a fact, I am. Good guess, Rhynoc."

"What makes you think she's going to share, Red?" Ripto then asked Red. Spyro finally got to his feet, angry but in pain. Bianca was prepared to bolt. All she needed to do was make it to a portal that the Rhynocs were spilling out of.

"Red, you're not going anywhere!" Spyro yelled out in anger.

"You can't stop me, Spyro. But by all means, try."

It was Flame that blindsided Red. He crashed into his Elder and the both landed in the ground.

Crash then turned to face Ripto, and finally he noticed who was standing in front of him: the bearer of the Spirit of Order.

"You're the champion of Order?" Ripto asked somewhat nervously. He now knew why the Sorceress' profit was concerned about this insignificant creature.

Bianca slipped past both Crash and Ripto and entered the portal that faced the Senate Building. She was getting away, Crash thought. But first he had to deal with the champion of Chaos.

"Aku-Aku chose a horrible host! You not magically inclined and cannot wield the power of Order to its potential." Ripto smiled as he stepped forth to challenge Crash.

Red threw Flame towards Spyro and he landed badly injured. He had bought Spyro some time, but Red's power was far surpassed anything Flame could combat. He tried to get up as Red approached the two smiling.

"The Sorceress was right, Spyro. You're too young to be a threat. You do not have the knowledge or the strength to defeat her. It's too bad you never will get the chance to try."

Cynder was the next Dragon to attack Red, she unleashed a torrent of blue flame at him, and it struck. Red was injured, but by no means taken down. Another purple beam formed in his mouth and unleashed it at Cynder, but it was Flame who flew and pushed her out of the way. Spyro, witnessing Flames sacrifice, could only stare as his wound kept him still. Flame and Cynder were both struck by the beam, but Flame was the one who suffered the majority of the impact, as his momentum carried both he and Cynder to the right of the beams path. They both collapsed to the ground, Cynder badly wounded and Flame dead before he landed on the ground.

Crash turned once he heard Spyro scream, but that proved to be a mistake. Black lightning enveloped him and he collapsed to the ground.

Red permitted Spyro to check on his friends, allowing the magnitude of his failure to sink in.

"Cynder… Flame." Spyro said as the tears began to pool in his eyes.

"Spyro…" Cynder pleaded as she tried to get up. "I can't get up. He's coming."

Spyro looked at Flame, who wasn't moving. He was severely burned, his skin charred and discolored. Spyro knew he was dead. The anger then began to swell inside of him. Similar to his battle with Gnasty, It was an inferno that raged inside of him, but this time he allowed it to control him. He stole command of the Gems from Red, and Dark Spyro now stood ready to confront Red.

Ripto continued his assault on Crash. He couldn't fight back, he didn't know how.

"Pathetic. Ten seconds and you're done. I can now add Aku-Aku to the list of beings I've killed. Farewell, Crash."

An arrow pierced through Ripto's chest, and he flinched and fell backwards. Crash got up from the ground and looked to see Hunter lower his bow.

"That's for every Cheetah you and the Rhynocs have ever killed asshole" Hunter said coldly before he turned to face Spyro. Crash looked too and saw Dark Spyro and Red standing a few yards apart, the fear in Red's eyes evident even from this distance. Though he was concerned for Spyro well being, he needed to rescue Sparx, for the Atlas had showed him what he meant to Spyro. He ran into the portal Bianca had used to flee Artisans, leaving Spyro to finish of the Rhynocs invasion.


	41. Crash's Sacrifice

Chapter 40: Crash's Sacrifice

CRASH ran through the portal and was now in the Forgotten Realms. Bianca had gotten a good ten minute head start on him, and he didn't particularly know where she went or where she was taking Sparx, but Crash knew she was heading for the Sorceress. Crash took a moment to look around, trying to get a sense of his bearings, but instead was awestruck at his surroundings. The sky was purple, and he could tell he was high up in the air, for it was a little difficult to breath. He walked forward towards a cliff edge and confirmed that indeed he was on a magnificent mountain range. The place was beautiful and surreal compared to the other places Crash had been to in the Dragon Realms. He was in the Forgotten Realms, the current home of the Sorceress. He expected something, gloomier.

Aku-Aku could track the location of Sparks. He was somewhere within the massive castle built on the top of this mountain. The architecture reminded Crash of the castles in Artisans, Peace Keepers, and Magic Crafters, but to a much larger scale. How was he supposed to get Sparx out of here? He had to, though. Sparx was Spyro's best friend, he was his guardian, and he was the last Dragonfly. Sparx would sacrifice his life to save Spyro if he ever needed to, and had saved Crash's life once, so he was going to return the favor. He made his way towards the grand castle. He knew getting into that castle, finding Sparx, and getting out was going to be near impossible to do without getting caught. In his future, he had tried and failed to save the Budakans from Cortex's wrath, and they had suffered. Niko… he could have prevented what happened to him. And now, he had been warned of the incoming danger to Artisans for a while, and still wasn't able to prevent death and tragedy. He would spare Sparx from the wrath of the Sorceress. Family was everything, and Crash will rescue Sparx even if it cost him his life. He owed it to him and Spyro.

He managed to enter the castle unnoticed, although it was teaming with Rhynocs. Crash stuck to the shadows. Took his time and tried to memorize patrol patterns to see if there were blind sports to exploit. Aku-Aku was giving him the impression that Sparx was at the top of this castle. What annoyed Crash was Aku-Aku's guidance was in a straight line, but he had to deal with the interior design of the Castle to get to Sparx. As he got closer, Crash started to get another feeling, and this time he wasn't sure if it was because of Aku-Aku. It was Power Gems, which meant the Sorceress was nearby. The sensation was so powerful that it was starting to give Crash a headache. This area of the castle was populated with both Rhynocs and other creatures. They seemed like slaves, but it wasn't worth being seen by them either. Crash was spotted by a Rhynoc, and he spun into him before he could shout. He flew across the hall and skid on the ground before coming to a stop. If he left the unconscious Rhynoc there, surely someone would find him, but he didn't have the time to hide the body. He continued down a hall which was lined with windows to the outside.

After climbing some stairs, dealing with the two Rhynocs that were heading down the same flight of stairs, and exiting onto the uppermost floor, he heard laughter. Crash had never actually seen the Sorceress before, but he was going to bet that she was the source of the laughter. The luxurious carpets, banners, and wall decorations implied he was close to the throne room. He kept close to the wall and shuffled towards a large opening that marked the entrance to the throne. He peeked inside and sure enough, the Dinopotamus was sitting on her grand throne. Three Power Gems floated above her, while the fourth was attached to the end of her scepter. Bianca had delivered Sparx to her master, and was now kneeling before her. Crash couldn't remain where he was, he may get spotted by a Rhynoc or servant that entered this hallway from the left or right. There was a way he could get to the rafters on the ceiling of the throne room, but it might take too much time. And the Sorceress could kill Sparx at any moment.

"Oh yes, if it isn't the last remaining Dragonfly" the Sorceress spoke rhetorically. "Centuries ago, a prophet of mine instructed me to kill every last one of these. At the time I agreed with his advice, but looking back now, how could I be so dense? I've learned a lot about the Power Gems, but to have a creature so naturally inclined with their energy, how could I pass on the opportunity to appropriate that skill."

"If you don't mind me asking," Bianca asked nervously, "What do you plan on doing to him?"

"As a matter a fact, I do mind!" The Sorceress spoke annoyed. The Bunny shrunk in fear, but the Sorceress laughed at her cowardness. "Oh, well since this is a special occasion, I guess I could share the details, though I doubt you'll understand, girl. This Dragonfly, Sparks, has a very special connection to the Power Gems. I believe this is because this creature is the current bearer of the Spirit of Order. Ripto, on the other hand, is the current champion of Chaos. These two forces, Order and Chaos, have shaped this planet since its creation, always trying to replace the other, and their power is derived from the unbiased power of the Power Gems, which are older than the planet itself, maybe even the universe. Both forces do not have a physical form, but instead entangle themselves into living beings or artifacts so that there will be carried out. Both forces also have a unique access to the power that comes from the Gems. With Sparx life force torn from him, I can repurpose it, appropriate into my being and have direct unhindered access to the Convexity."

"So you have to kill it?" Bianca then asked.

"Well I'm certainly not going to adopt it as a pet! Now be gone, I have important work to do!"

"I… I want you to release my family."

"Oh you poor… poor creature. You do realize there are less than a dozen bunnies left in existence. I do believe releasing them wouldn't really do you any good. Sure, you can see your mother and siblings again, but what's going to happen to your species a few decades from now. How are they going to repopulate? You'd just be prolonging the inevitable."

Although Bianca was thinking that there suffering was her fault and in no way her own. The Sorceress was right. Their race had no future now. "I don't care, I just want my family back. To hold them and be with them again."

"Well then I guess you're going to be in for a shock, because they're all dead."

"What!"

"Yep, when I said they were in a state of limbo, your mother, brother, and two sisters were really just floating corpses."

"But, I did what you asked of me! How could you kill them?" Bianca now said crying.

"Well, I did slaughter all but some of the Bunny Population without regard along with millions of other creatures. I don't exactly have a good track record of keeping things alive. And as I've already explained, having them alive now wasn't going to do any good. Now get out of my sight, unless you wish to join your family."

"No! I've suffered enough, and I can't run anymore. Do it, I don't deserve to live, not after what I've done."

"If you insist." The Sorceress lowered her scepter at Bianca, who did nothing to defend herself, and black lightning struck her, making her fall to the ground and shriek in agony. Crash then dropped from the roof and intercepted the lightning from striking Bianca. A green sphere was around Crash, acting as a barrier which insulated the two from the potent electricity. The Sorceress stopped her attack once she realized who had stepped in to save Bianca.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Crash, the latest creature prophesized to kill me."

Bianca slowly got up from the ground and stood behind Crash. He was the orange creature who was beside Spyro in the Senate Building earlier. Why was he here? And why was he trying to save my life?

"Bianca, get out of her and get back to Artisans. I know what you've lost and why you did what you've done. Now do the right thing. And tell Spyro I'm sorry."

His voice was monotone and his mouth didn't move. Bianca was still frozen. Crash might be a champion of Order like Sparx, but there wasn't any way he couldn't stand up to the Sorceress.

"No one is going anywhere. You may be a warrior from the future. You may have been chosen by the Spirit of Order in your future, but you don't stand a chance against me, bandicoot… whatever that is."

Crash remained calm and defiant, staring down the Sorceress. "We've both had visions of the future, Sorceress. You must know what happens here."

"You will not defeat me, Crash"

"No, no I won't. But you will be defeated."

The Sorceress looked at Crash curiously. She thought back to when she asked her profit about her destiny, and he told her of this warrior from the future and ripples of distortion he would cause to her future. Was it possible? Would she fall somehow because of this creature that stood before her? The thought infuriated her, and she lost her patience."

"Fool, your delusions will not waste my time any longer. You will die where you stand, and Spyro will be next."

"Bianca, go now. And take this with you." Crash took of his necklace and tossed it to her. "Aku-Aku", Bianca thought to herself. She heard about the Spirits of Order and Chaos growing up, but never thought she would actually encounter them. She took it, and began to run.

"Oh no you don't!" The Sorceress yelled as a purple beam gathered in her palm. She unleashed the blast at the Bunny, but Crash jumped up to intercept it and the beam was deflected to the left, perpendicular to its original trajectory. Crash tumbled backwards from the momentum of the blast, landed awkwardly after he spun in the air, and the Sorceress was left astounded. Crash had removed his talisman from his neck and gave it to Bianca, but somehow he deflected her attack. There had to be something unique about that spin he did.

Bianca leaped out of the window and hurdled towards the ground. ‹Rainbow Dash› , she yelled in an ancient language, and she stopped falling and road visible light and landed towards Midnight Mountains' portal.

The Sorceress pulled from the energy of the four Power Gems in her possession, and a large black aura formed around her. Air began to rush in all directions and Crash shielded his eyes.

"You outmatched and out of time. You coming here was a mistake, and ensured your own death." Black lightning erupted from the tip of the Sorceress' scepter, and Crash was immediately struck with the lighting. But instead of collapsing to the ground, He maintained his stance and had his left arm outstretched. The lightning entered Crash's body through his left hand and traveled down his arm, through his chest (but avoiding his heart), and pooled in his stomach. It took all the effort Crash had to avoid having the lighting travel to his feet and to the ground. The Sorceress again couldn't understand how Crash could counter this attack. No one had ever done so before. Crash's skin sparkled and electricity arced and sparked all around him. He then outstretched his right hand and the pent up energy leaped from him and a continuous bolt of lightning struck the Sorceress. She used the Gems' power to attempt to insulate herself from the sudden redirection of her lighting, but in doing so only caused an explosion in front of her as she flew backwards and hit the wall behind her throne. Fire engulfed the carpet and banner's hanging on the wall. Crash dropped to his knees, exhausted and his muscles spasming almost uncontrollably for having so much electricity running though him. He ignored the pain and ran towards the Sorceress. She was uninjured, just recovering from hitting the stone wall behind her. Crash grabbed the jar that Sparx was in and made a break for the exit. But he could escape in time. The Sorceress stood up from where she landed and screamed out in a fury.

Sparx looked at Crash helplessly as he shook inside the jar Crash had curled under his right arm. Suddenly he was launched in the air. Crash had throne the jar out of a window. As Sparx turned to face Crash, he could see him collapse, blood spewing from his left arm. Crash had failed to doge an energy beam from the Sorceress and now fell to the ground in pain, clutching his left arm. As the jar continued to fall, he lost sight of Crash and continued to fall downward for nearly twelve seconds before the jar he was trapped in shattered and Sparx collided with rock and dirt. The shards of glass continued to fall down the mountain, but Sparx, though bruised, was able to steady himself and hover above where his glass prison had struck the side of the mountain. Crash had freed him from the Sorceress, but at the cost of his own life. Sparx momentarily considered flying back to aid Crash in any way he could, but decided against it. He had freed him for a reason, though Sparx couldn't bear the thought of Crash dying. It pained him, but he knew the only way to avenge his life was to get to Artisans.

Crash didn't have any energy left. He was now on his back, in pain and losing consciousness. The Sorceress was standing over him, smiling. All Crash could think about was Spyro, how he would react when Bianca tells him what happened to him. Spyro would blame himself for letting Sparx get captured, though it wasn't true. It would tear at him, just as the death of his father tore at him. And now his brother was sacrificing his life to protect him. "Hopefully he forgives me" Crash thought to himself. "He's lost so much, but he deserves to have a whole life after he defeats the Sorceress. To have a family, to have children, the life I never had the chance to have." Crash smiled as his eyes closed.


	42. Vengeance

Chapter 41: Vengeance

RED's body lay unmoving on the ground, his throat ripped open and forming a pool of blood on the ground. Spyro still stood above him, staring coldly at the dead Elder before him. Cynder limped her way besides Spyro, both terrified at what he just did, and surprised to see how quickly he had done so. Three Power Gems now lay on the ground, glowing lightly. Most of Artisans was still dealing with the Rhynoc and Gnork invaders, although the area around the Senate Building was the calm eye in the middle of this hurricane.

"Spyro…" Cynder asked, and then froze once Spyro looked at her. He was a beacon of rage, a menacing stare with glowing eyes which contrasted with the dark aura surrounding him. "Where's Sparx?"

The question startled Spyro, he must have forgotten about him.

* * *

It took all night, but the Rhynocs bottleneck entrance into Artisans' proved to be a disadvantage, as they could never get the appropriate amount of troops into the Dragon Realms. Warriors of all species held them back valiantly, and the resistance claimed victory. It of course, did not come at a great coast. Dozens of Dragons, several monkeys, lions, fauns, cheetahs, penguins, and yetis, sacrificed their lives to repel the surprise attack. It was a somber occasion, reflected by the damage to the town in Artisans. Ember leaned against Spyro, seeking support as she watched Flame and several other Dragons be sent off in a final farewell as the fire was lit beneath them, a proper and formal burial of those who had fallen. The crowd dispersed after a while, and Spyro, Cynder, and Ember walked somberly together.

"Flame acted so brave, Ember. His sacrifice is probably the reason I'm still alive." Spyro said consolingly to Ember.

"I know" Ember responded cheerfully. "When Cynder, Flame, and I saw you confront Red, I was so scared. But Flame said he was going to help you. That he would do anything to help you. He may have never told you, Spyro. But he believed in you. That you were the Dragon to end this."

"I was wrong about him" Cynder responded sadly. "I thought he was always a jealous, prideful Dragon. That he only cared about himself. But it was never true, he may have had a weird way of showing it, but he cared about all of us. Even me." Cynder paused for a moment, and then continued. "Crash and Sparks are still missing."

The mentioning of Crash and Sparks made Spyro stop walking. He was trying to bury his grief, be strong for the others. A tear formed in Spyro's eye unwillingly, and both Ember and Cynder noticed.

"I could have saved both of their lives."

"Spyro, we don't know if there dead or not," Cynder said softly, "and you can't blame yourself for this."

"Yes I can!" Spyro said angrily. "Everyone's counting on me to end this, and I have the power to do so. But even now everyone I care about is still sacrificing themselves to protect me. It's not fair and I can't forgive myself for this. Flame's death was my fault! Sparx being captured was my fault!"

"No Spyro," Hunter said out of nowhere, "everyone here is not counting on you. But that doesn't mean you can't defeat the Sorceress. Your friends sacrificed themselves not because you needed protecting, but because like true warriors they were willing to sacrifice themselves to protect the people they care about. They acted selflessly, and their sacrifices will be celebrated once this is all over. But right now, instead of feeling sorry for yourself, you focus. You have a great power within you, I saw it. But that power is useless without control."

"Thanks Hunter," Spyro responded calmly.

"Spyro!" Sheila yelled as she hopped towards his direction. "Come quickly, you'll need to see this." Everyone followed Sheila to the now destroyed Senate Building, and in front of the portal arc stood Bianca and Sparks floating around her. Thomas, Magnus, Byrd, Bentley, and the Professor were also gathered near the portal. Sparx flew over to Spyro and flew around him excitedly as Spyro smiled upon seeing his best friend alive. Hunter, meanwhile, stared at Bianca in mistrust.

"You better have a good reason for coming back, traitor." Hunter said without emotion.

Bianca sighed before she spoke. "About a week ago, the Sorceress found my people's home and leveled us. She killed almost everyone, leaving only my brother, two sisters, and my mother alive. She told me that I would act as her mole for the resistance, or else she would murder them as well. I should have never agreed to, but it didn't matter. She killed them anyway. Spyro, I can't ever forgive myself for allowing this to happen to you and the Dragons. But… I came back to help. Your friend, Crash… saved my life. He confronted the Sorceress alone and told me to come here. He was also able to free Sparx, but I don't think he was able to make it out of the Sorceress' castle alive. He… told me to tell you that 'he was sorry,' and to give you this." Bianca handed Aku-Aku to Spyro, and he let it rest in his front paw. Sparx hovered in front of Spyro, also staring at the talisman. Spyro turned his head to the side and looked away.

"Crash, why would you go alone" Spyro thought. But he dismissed the thought as soon as it came to him. Crash knew it was a one way trip, and didn't care. He had the opportunity to save Sparx's life, and did so, because he carried about him and about me. Spyro then draped the necklace around his neck and felt a familiar presence. Spyro understood now why Crash thought Sparks and "Aku-Aku" would get along. They were just two incarnations of the same being.

"Thank you, Crash." Spyro whispered to himself. He walked forward, past Bianca, and activated the portal in front of him. Cynder was asking what he was doing, but he didn't care. The Power Gems lifted from around Red's carcass and floated towards Spyro. "Crash had the courage to face the Sorceress, and now I have it, too."

"Wait, Spyro," Cynder said urgently, "you can't go alone."

"The barrier keeping the Sorceress out of the Dragon Realms has fallen" Thomas interjected. "And there is nothing keeping the Sorceress from coming here. We don't have any time to waste and nowhere to hide. If we are to end her reign of terror, it happens now."

"Then it's settled," Byrd wobbled forward. "We march to the Forgotten Realms and confront the Sorceress."

"That won't be necessary" Spyro said as he approached the portal. He flew through before anyone could argue. Sparx followed, and so did the Power Gems.


	43. Spyro's Rage

Chapter 42: Spyro's Rage

MALEFOR stood a ways from the Sorceress, observing the orange creature she had restrained against a wall.

"Why are you here, Malefor? Your unexpected visits are starting to become annoying. Don't think you can earn any favor with me once I have all seven Power Gems."

"Oh please, like I need any mercy from you."

"Well what do you want? You're interrupting my interrogation."

"Spyro is coming, soon. The Bunny you allowed to escape made it back to Artisans with Sparx, and now he's coming back here to avenge the life of this creature. He's also brining the three Power Gems I let the resistance find."

The Sorceress turned to look at Malefor.

"I'm tired of you and your games, Malefor! I will kill Spyro no matter what you do to interfere. And then you're next, understood? Now get out of my castle, unless I need to force you out."

"That won't be necessary, Sorceress. You're fight is with my nephew, you'll need all your strength to defeat him."

"Oh I plan on it. Now get out."

* * *

Spyro flew through Midnight Mountains, making his way towards the Sorceress. The rest of the Avalar resistance had followed him to the Forgotten Realms, but Spyro wasn't waiting for them. He sought vengeance. Most of the Dragons who emerged from the portal were stunned with the familiarity of the place. They had once lived here a thousand years ago, and although none of them were alive during that time, the place still felt familiar.

Spyro landed in front of the castle, with Sparx behind him and Aku-Aku dangling on his neck. The Sorceress was waiting for him. Six years ago was the first time Spyro had ever seen her, and she looked exactly the same as she did all that time ago. They were both standing on a bridge, which hovered over hundreds of feet of nothing. Nothing was said for the first five seconds; instead they sized each other up. It was the Sorceress who spoke first.

"I've lived for a very long time, Spyro. I've killed tens of millions of creatures, conquered almost this entire planet, and in all my time I have never been told that a creature was destined to destroy me until ten years ago. Does the date ring a bell? I've seen how this battle will turn out before you were even born. I've been prepared for a thousand years to finally end the species that caused mine so much grief. You and your uncle are my final obstacles. You are the last pieces of the puzzle. Once I destroy both of you, there's no one left. So you can understand why this is your final hour. When you fall, so does everyone else."

"Sorceress, I don't give a damn about prophesies. The moments you killed my father and my best friends is when I was given the reason to take you down."

"Oh, you wouldn't happen to be talking about an orange… 'bandicoot' from the future, would you. So weird, how people's destinies work. Born… no 'created' a hundred thousand years in the future, and his fate crossed with yours and mine. My prophets warned me of how he would be partially responsible for my downfall. I guess I'm going to have to prove them wrong. Oh, and I see the rest of the resistance has found the courage to face me."

Spyro turned around to see that everyone in Artisans had followed him here. He couldn't keep them safe once this battle started, but he knew he couldn't convince them to turn back. He made out Cynder and Ember as well. Spyro couldn't let anything bad happen to either of them, or to anyone here. He had already failed too many. Spyro turned to face the Sorceress once she continued talking.

"Your friend, 'Crash,' stood up to me in a bid to save your Dragonfly from me. It was fairly brave of him; he showed more heart and courage than most of the sad faces in that crowd behind you. And he even stood his own for a while. It's rare I can command any creature, so I thought he deserved a proper ending for a proper warrior."

She lifted her scepter in her hand and traced an oval in the air, a rift opened parallel to the ground above her and Crash fell through the whole and collapsed onto the ground. After one glance at Crash, Spyro had to turn away. He was a mess and Spyro could tell he was in serious pain. Blood stained his entire left arm and shoulder. Several parts of his upper torso looked like they were burned as well. His jeans were covered in blood, and he couldn't get up from the ground and wasn't even trying to use his left arm. Crash looked at Spyro, saw what was draped around his neck and felt some relief. Spyro's time to avenge his people was near. Cynder and Ember looked away horrified after seeing at Crash.

"I have put this creature though some of my most intensive torcher methods I could come up with. Some methods I used on your father, Spyro. But he refused to give me anything useful, although some of the information I was asking for I already knew. He has impressed me in more ways than one, and can understand why the Spirit of Order chose him as its representative in the future."

The Sorceress gripped her right hand tightly and began to raise it in the air. Crash slowly lifted in the air, and he put his right hand on his neck and dangled helplessly in the air. The Sorceress was strangling him. His legs dangled as they scrambled for ground, but soon went limp after he gave up. Crash maintained his gaze on Spyro.

"Sorceress, I swear to god… if you kill him…"

"You'll what? You planned on killing me today anyway? I never did have to opportunity to kill you father in front of you when you ran off six years ago in Avalar. And since this 'Crash' means so much to you, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to do this and see your reaction."

The end of the Sorceress' scepter pierced though Crash's back and appeared stained red protruding from Crash's stomach, as well as a spray of blood squirting forward. Crash's, still hovering in the air, arced back at the sudden pain, but he had no energy to scream or flinch.

"Noooooooo!" Spyro screamed.

Crash dropped to the ground after the Sorceress ceased suspending him. Crash, struggling, managed to get to his feet. As Spyro watched in horror, Crash had his right hand pressed against the hole in his chest, but the blood just kept on gushing to the floor. He dropped to his knees, but then was lifted into the air by the Sorceress again and flung forward, tumbling in the air before crashing onto the bridge, face down.

Spyro ran forward to help his friend; he turned Crash onto his back. He was smiling softly, thought tears were streaming out of his eyes. He was dying. Sparx landed on his chest, and started to heal him.

"Thank you Spyro, for letting me into your family. For showing me happiness, again." Crash uttered with his SAD. Sparx began to glow as he attempted to save Crash's life. "I… l-ov-e you." He spoke almost silently without his SAD. He could breathe anymore, but had managed to get the words out of his mouth. Crash lifted his right arm, slowly, and placed in on Spyro's shoulder, and smiled. His eyes closed and Crash went limp, his right arm dropping to the ground. Sparx continued his effort to resuscitate him, but he had died before he had a chance to sacrifice his life energy. All of the Resistance, the Dragons, and the Sorceress were around, but for Spyro, he could only think about his best friend, who lay dead in front of him. Spyro placed his right arm under Crash's head, lifted his upper torso, and hugged him. His tears dropped onto Crash's shoulder, as Crash's blood covered Spyro's underbelly.

"You failed, Spyro. Everyone behind you will die the same way this Crash did. And I'm going to make you watch. I'm going to make you feel the depth of your failure. I am the Sorceress, commander of the seven Power Gems. You never stood a chance against me."

Spyro hugged Crash for ten seconds, and then gently rested his head against the cobblestone. Spyro;s eyes were sealed shut, with tears falling from the brim between his eyelids. He stood up, with an overwhelming feeling of sadness and… fear. And it angered him. Spyro reached inside for the anger, for the regret, for the sadness, for the pain that would give him the strength he needed to avenge his best friend. The result was a flood from the outside. He yelled out in rage, and a torrent of flames erupted from his mouth. The plume tore through the air and claimed high and wide. He then looked at the Sorceress and opened his eyes, still crying.

"No, it's not possible." The Sorceress though, those eyes, those red eyes.

Malefor, from a distance, looked upon the sight and was enraged and fearful. The Sorceress was warned by her profits and by him that this could happen. That she would allow Spyro to tap into the cosmic force of legend, energy that she couldn't access herself. But Spyro didn't reach for the power, it came to him. It was given to him, like when he attacked the Sorceress six years ago. That was the secret. It was what both the Sorceress and Malefor never realized. The convexity wasn't taken, it was earned. And not by the wicked or the righteous of heart, but by those that could control this Chaos Force and wield it like a sword. A champion of Order and Chaos. And with Spyro tapping into the convexity, Malefor couldn't defeat him.

Spyro couldn't contain his rage. He stared at the Sorceress, not realizing what was happening to him, that the seven Power Gems were glowing, or the terror that the Sorceress was looking at. He didn't care. The Sorceress retreated slowly. "The glow…" she thought. It was causing her to back up in fear. The wind whipped furiously around Spyro as his entire body began to emanate a furious golden yellow aura; he stared at his adversary with red, piercing eyes and a golden fire emanating from his body. Aku-Aku had also changed, once again channeling the full power of the seven Power Gems, as he once did in the future, and Sparx also glowed brightly as he accompanied his friend. All three demanded justice.

_It was this demand for Crash's sacrifice, that they… that Spyro would defeat the Sorceress._

* * *

_Author's Note: This chapter was illustrated by Tatujapa on DeviantArt. Sorry I can't put a direct link here, but that isn't permitted by (for a good reason, I suppose). I have an account on DeviantArt with the same name as I have for this site, where I also posted Crash and Spyro AFAL. If you find the chapter 42 there, feel free to comment saying you came from fanfiction. I like to see if anyone can find it from here._


	44. The Life of a Hero

Chapter 43: The Life of a Hero

There was supposed to be a big crowd today, to pay their respects to the Dragon who had defeated the legendary Sorceress and the malevolent Malefor. But Kindle wasn't sure how he felt. He wasn't sad, he wasn't grieving. He instead felt a little ticked off. Spyro had saved the entire world, twice, but that didn't make Kindle love his father any more than he should have. Cynder, his younger sister, was comforting their mother, Ember. As she grieved for the death of her husband, Kindle stared out the window. He noticed an Elderly, red Dragon, approach their home from outside. "It's a little early for guests" Kindle thought. He walked to the front door and opened it before the Elder could knock.

"Why hello there young Dragon, is Ember here?" The Elder asked.

"Yeah, who are you exactly?" Kindle asked suspiciously. How did this Dragon whom Kindle has never seen before know who his mother was?

"An old friend."

"Flame… is that you?" Ember asked surprised. "It is!"

"Hi Ember." Flame and Ember hugged, which shocked Kindle. The only other Dragon he had ever seen his mother hug was Spyro. And that didn't happen frequently. "It's been so long since we last saw each other. How you holding up?"

"Oh, not good, Flame." Ember responded tearfully. "How could he leave us so early? He was only fifty-eight years old."

"Is that him underneath the blanket?" Flame asked, calmly.

"Mhmm." Ember said as she sobbed again.

Flame walked over to a bedroom and nudged the door. "It's been a long time, Spyro. Since you freed me from the Sorceress, since you defeated those double crossing Rhynocs. Since Malefor and Cynder. I'm sorry I never got the chance to say goodbye, old friend. I'll regret it for the rest of my life." Flame closed the door and sat next to Ember and Cynder. "He was such a humble and good friend, Ember. He lost so much in his life, but always fought for the betterment of those he loved."

"I know, Flame" Ember said agreeing. "I loved him so much because of that."

"Phht" Kindle though. "If he was so 'humble' and carrying, then why was he never here? Why didn't he love me, then?"

"Spyro deserved someone like you, Ember" Flame continued. "An anchor to keep him grounded. To alleviate the losses he suffered. He was lucky to have you."

"Thanks, Flame. And thank you for coming. I honestly didn't know if you'd come. Considering how long you've been in the Old Gnork's Realm."

"Yeah. I've been away for almost thirty-five years. Never married or had children. Although I do have to say, Spyro's decision to allow parent Dragons to raise their children, probably one of his greatest. You're lucky, young man," Flame said at Kindle, "You had the greatest dad in the world."

This was almost the last straw for Kindle. My father didn't care about me. I never saw him act "heroically." All I ever heard were stories, and all I ever felt was a shadow of his greatness and him ignoring me.

"I'm so glad you came to attend his funeral today, Flame. It just wouldn't be complete without you" Ember said.

"I can still remember the times you, Spyro, Cynder, and I spent together before the Gnasty and the Sorceress. It was so much simpler."

"He just mentioned my sister's name again." Kindle thought.

"You wouldn't be talking about me by any chance?" Kindle's sister asked.

"No. Didn't you tell her about the Dragon she was named after, Ember." Flame then asked, confusedly.

Ember hesitated before she answered Flame's question. "Spyro thought it best not to discuss Cynder to the children."

"Shocker." Kindle said out loud instinctually.

"Kindle!" Ember replied angrily to his snarky comment.

"What, it's not like father ever talked about his past to me and Cynder, anyway. I learned most of what I know about Spyro from everyone except him. It's like he wanted it to be a secret."

"You're father had his reasons, Kindle." Ember said sternly.

No, Kindle wasn't going to here anymore rhetoric, today. "What, that he was ashamed, embarrassed, regretful, or depressed about being the 'greatest' Dragon in history? What was so bad about his life that I, his own son, couldn't know? Why did he ignore me?" He had blurted out that last sentence by accident, but it was too late to retract the statement.

"Well, you're a grown Dragons, Kindle and Cynder. And I think you deserve to know the truth." Flame said, surprisingly.

"Flame…" Ember asked but paused.

"What do you know about Malefor?" Flame asked Kindle

"I know that he was a purple Dragon like my father, and I also know that he was my father's uncle. After the Sorceress was defeated by the united effort of the Dragons, Avalar Resistance, Gnorks, and Rhynocs, the Dragons were betrayed by Ripto and he allied himself with Malefor. Like the Sorceress, Malefor sought control of the seven Power Gems, and he used there ability's to corrupt the minds of those who fought against him. He was eventually was defeated by my father, but it cost him the life of his best friend, Sparx the Dragonfly, who sacrificed his life to heal Spyro's mortal wounds."

"Do you know any of the Dragons whom Malefor corrupted?"

"No, I heard it wasn't that many."

"Her name was Cynder, she was the first Dragon that Malefor ever corrupted. Cynder was presumed dead when Ripto turned on us Dragons and the Avalar Resistance during the attack on the Sorceress. Cynder was also your father's first love."

Ember looked away from Flame and Kindle. "My father loved someone besides my mother?" Kindle thought confused.

"Spyro thought that Ripto had killed her, so he murdered Ripto seeking vengeance. Cynder's death tore at Spyro, but as it turned out, Cynder was actually abducted by Ripto after she was badly wounded in the struggle against the Sorceress. She was delivered by Ripto to Malefor, and he used his twisted manipulation of the seven Power Gems to corrupt her mind and transform her into a weapon of his cause. She was distorted into an adult, a sinister creation that aided Malefor in any way he saw fit. This continued as Malefor launched his assault on the entire world. He corrupted other Dragons, including me. During Spyro's final confrontation with Malefor, he had to kill Cynder, who he didn't know was still alive until she regressed to her normal self upon being defeated. Your father killed the women he loved. He was able to get vengeance on Malefor at the coast of Sparx's life, but the damage was already done. That's why your father acted the way he did. He'd never admit it, but he was a broken man throughout his entire life. Spyro lost his father, his best friend, and his first love. I know he found happiness with your mother her, but a part of him always felt ashamed and responsible for those deaths."

Ember was crying at this point, and Cynder was taken aback. Kindle wasn't sure how to feel. He never knew who Cynder was and couldn't empathize with his father. But there was a reason he acted the way he did. He may not have been the best father, but it was for certain that he was a hero. That was the Dragon he would have to honor today.

"Ember," Flame continued, "there's something else I have to say, although I shouldn't. I was prepared to go to the grave with this, but… I know I'll regret never telling you this. As we were growing up together, I was primarily jealous of Spyro because you loved him. And even though it pained me, I was prepared to never tell you how much I loved because of how much you loved Spyro. But then Spyro and Cynder solely fell in love. I was a coward for never telling you how I felt. And after Cynder's death, I missed my opportunity. I regret the decision, but I know you found happiness with the Dragon you loved. And Spyro needed you, more than I did."

Flame got up from next to Ember and headed for the exit. "Flame, wait" Ember said as she got up. "You're meaning to tell me that for almost fifty-six years, you loved me but never had the courage to tell me."

"It's my biggest regret. But I knew I had to come her today and tell you, or else I couldn't live with myself."

Ember walked up to Flame, and they stared at each other for a moment before Ember slapped Flame across the face. Flame didn't say anything. Once he looked back at Ember, she kissed him.

"That's for not having the courage to tell me how you felt all these years."

"What, the slap or the kiss?"

"Both."

* * *

This was it, people from all over the world, those who came to pay their respects to the legend of Spyro, and those who were alive when he defeated both Malefor and the Sorceress. Kindle was to say some words about his father to honor him. Before this morning, Kindle didn't know what to say. He wouldn't have meant anything he would have said before Flame visited his mother this morning. As he walked in front of his father's casket, his heart pounding, he came up with the words he was to say to those who knew his father well and loved him for what he had done for them.

"We're gathered here today to celebrate the life of the Dragon who is responsible for the peace and prosperity of the world. However, that Dragon is not the one I grew up with. My father… was distant, cold, and unfeeling. Growing up, I always felt as if my father ignored me, and that caused me to resent him. I can see the surprise in your faces. I was angered by my father's lack of attention, and it isn't until today that I found out why. He may have braved confronting the Sorceress and Malefor, but he never had the courage to open himself to me or my sister. He bottled his pain inside of him and it left him in pain for many years. Today you're gathered here to pay your respects to a Legend, but I come here today to pay respect to my father. A Dragon only today I truly learned about, and I came here today to forgive him. I may never know the pain that he grew up with, the losses he suffered. And it was wrong of me to judge him, but I just wish he had the courage to trust me and talk about his past. I only truly found out how great of a Dragon he was after he died."

Kindle walked towards the casket and lit it on fire. He watched as the embers flew into the air and the fire spread throughout the wooden coffin and flammable material underneath. He then walked past the crowd and went home. His mother and sister followed him.


	45. The Atlas

Chapter 44: The Atlas

THE Sorceress lay on the ground, unmoving. There fight had lasted all of five minutes, but she knew she was defeated. Spyro stood in front of her, the power of the convexity surging through him. This was different than anytime she had ever tapped into the Power of the Gems. Spyro wasn't syphoning the energy, it instead was an extension of him, his anger, his pain, and his grief; he was in command of it, instead of just using the energy. This was what the Sorceress had sought her entire life, the power she needed to wipe the Dragons from the face of the Earth. But now Spyro had it, and he was going to kill her with it. She failed.

"I don't expect you to show me mercy, Spyro. You wield the convexity now. I instead only have this… this to t-tell you." She was struggling to speak. "I carried out… the prophesy of the [unintelligible]. Act… acted as its herald. Used the con-vexity like I was shown upon first… seeing all seven Power Gems… like my father… before me. This universe… is impure… and it must be cleansed."

What the hell was she talking about? "Shut up." Spyro barked as he stood above her. Although Aku-Aku was concerned about the Sorceress' last words, Spyro didn't care or hear his concern. He instead finished of the Sorceress in the most appropriate way he could think of.

The Sorceress knew what Spyro had done as soon as it happened. She felt her immortality leave her, and she quickly began to die. Her body aged rapidly, skin eroded and bones wilted to nothing. Eventually she became a pile of dust on the ground, but at that point Spyro had returned to Crash's dead body. He sat next to his unmoving body in silence. Eventually Cynder and Ember approached Spyro, who still emanated a blinding golden aura and produced violent winds in all directions. And even with all his power at his disposal, Spyro felt helpless. He felt guilty. The Resistance had won, the Sorceress had been killed, and the Dragons were free. But no one applauded.

After a couple of days, all the species of Avalar could rejoice in the fact that they were finally free. There was the lingering issue of the Rhynocs, but they seemed content just to retreat to their homelands. Although there would always be animosity towards these mercenaries of the Sorceress, Hunter had killed their leader and the Rhynoc people were tiered of fighting. Since they were no longer under the control of the Sorceress, the Gnorks decided to leave their Realm. There was a general opposition to the commands of their leader, Gnasty, but had followed him anyway because of his relation to his father. After his and the Sorceress' defeat by Spyro, The Gnorks decided just to live in Avalar. Find a new civilization and start over. They still didn't particularly like Dragons, but they weren't there enemy.

* * *

It all ended so quickly. Two days ago, Crash was trying to show Spyro how to surf. Today his ashes were in an urn. He had brought Crash here to his favorite beach. His little hut, his finished painting of his child that never had a chance to live, wampa pits, were still here, a reminder of the friend he now held in his paws. Cynder and Sparx accompanied Spyro, her to pay their respects to a stranger who became a dear friend. Crash's SAD with its brown color and white box was strapped to the urn, as well as his Aku-Aku mask. Spyro had already mourned for his friend Flame and those who had sacrificed their lives to protect Artisans. All that was left to do was say goodbye to his brother. It was an hour and a half before sunset. The ocean sparkled both blue and orange because of the light that skimmed across the surface.

Spyro faced the ocean, with Cynder in silence. He stared solemnly at the urn in his grasp, and then looked at the sunset once again. Cynder waited patiently for Spyro to say his final goodbye. She knew this wasn't easy for him. Spyro wiped a tear from his eye before he started.

"Once… you told me that family's look out for one another, no matter how grim or bad things get. You shared with me your life in the future, the families you had and the families you've lost. How you were a creation of evil, yet the love of another allowed you to break the control of your creator. You acted selflessly; you valued the lives of those around you more than you do your own. That's what I most admire about you, Crash. You once told me that I should honor the life of my father by living in his example. Well I can do the same with you. Thanks Crash, for being the brother I never knew I needed… I love you, too."

Spyro carefully opened the urn and spread his ashes onto the beach. Cynder came up next to him when he finished spreading the ashes.

"I'm going to miss him Spyro. There was just something about the way he carried himself. So full of grief, yet he somehow found a way to make those around him happy." Cynder thought back to the dinner that Crash had prepared for them, and then of their vacation in Dragon Shores.

Spyro sniffled before he responded. "I think it was a consequence of being the only one of his kind. All he ever wanted was to be loved; to have a family. He would fight till death to ensure those he loved was safe."

It was then that Ember landed on the beach besides Spyro and Cynder and approached them. She had brought a brown satchel with her. Spyro couldn't guess what was inside.

"Hey guys" Ember said somewhat blandly. After what happened to Flame, Spyro could understand what she was feeling.

"Ember, I couldn't find you at all today? Where were you?" Spyro asked wordily. He had intended to invite her to this private ceremony.

"Sorry I was gone. But I had something important to do." She opened the bag she had brought and carefully pulled out a red book. "I've decided to go on and live in Avalar along with some other Dragons. So this may be the last time I see you in a while. But before I go, though, I need to give you this." She gently picked up the book and Spyro balanced it in his paws. He read the cover: Atlas. "The Professor told me to give this to you." He read the cover, which said Atlas.

"I don't understand, Ember? Why are you leaving?"

Ember sighed before she continued. "Spyro… I don't have a future her. Not after what has happened. I'm… torn. I still love you, but that's not fair to Flame." Ember was tearing up at this point. "Having you near me is just too much of a reminder of how much I loved you and how wrong that should make me feel." She breathed in deeply and continued less emotionally. "I'm going to go explore Avalar with a colony of Dragons. Hopefully in the coming decades things can return to the way they were before the Sorceress. Dragons do belong thorough the world, not just in the Dragon Realms. But saying goodbye isn't the only reason I came here." Ember paused again before continuing. "The Professor says this book has a very special purpose of guiding whomever is reading it towards a better future. He thinks it will help you move on, like how the book showed him the path he took after Elora's death."

Spyro looked at Ember. "I don't want you to leave, Ember. But I hope you find happiness in your travels." He smiled, and they hugged. She said a tearful goodbye to Cynder as well, before Ember took off and headed towards Artisans in order to take a portal to Avalar.

Spyro held the red notebook in his hands.

"Well, aren't you going to read it?" Cynder asked.

"I was thinking we could read it together, Cynder."

They retreated towards the tree line, and sat next near Crash's home, underneath some palm trees. Spyro opened the book, and looked for the place to start reading from. He wasn't sure how a random book was supposed to help him, but as soon as he started reading, he couldn't stop.

_I was a broken man when I came to the past. Sad, alone, defeated. I blamed myself for what happened to Tawna, what happened to Budakan, what happened to Niko. I had lost two families. And even though it may not have been perfect, even though it may not have made a whole lot of sense, I found a new family. I found a brother. I was willing to do anything to protect him, to preserve the family I found in the past, even though he was stronger than me, both physically and emotionally. Once again I found a community, a culture that accepted me even though I was different. And this time around I was willing to do anything to ensure that I wasn't the cause of any misfortunes for Spyro and his family. I knew this once Spyro helped me forgive myself for what happened to me in the future. He carried enough about me to help me see, help me believe that Tawna's death and Niko's torture wasn't my fault. That's why I have to do this, Professor. Whether it is because of fate or accident that I was brought to the past, it is up to me to make it mean something. So please, help me. Why am I having these visions, and what do they mean._

_Have you told Spyro about these visions?_

_I'm afraid he'll sacrifice his life for me. He doesn't deserve to be a martyr. He has a future... when I don't._

_What would you say to him if you didn't come back?_

_I'd tell him I was sorry I didn't hold up my end of the bargain. That I knew just how much Spyro loved Sparx, and that I wouldn't let anything bad happen to him._

_Would you tell him about the Atlas?_

_I'd ask him to do something crazy with it. _

_And what would that be?_

_I'd ask him to put it somewhere I could find it in one hundred thousand years._


	46. Altered Future Part 1

Chapter 45: Altered Future Part 1

"Crash" Tawna said as she laid in her bed. She could barely get the words out of her mouth. "These few months have been perfect, Crash. Thank you for freeing me… for showing me what love is."

Crash held Tawna's hand as the sky slowly darkened. It was going to rain soon.

"I love you, Crash." Tawna's eyes closed and her head tilted to the side.

"I love you, too." Crash whispered to her.

She was gone. And Crash had never even given her a name yet. It was unbearable. He felt ashamed, desolate, undeserving of her love. But why did he love her? What commended him to feel this way the first time he ever laid eyes on her? Why did she love me back? What do I do now?

Crash, naked and alone, stumbled to the beachfront. It was cloudy and the ocean was turbulent. He couldn't watch the sunset today, it would be the first time he would watch it alone. With the pain swelling inside of him on this gloomy day, it became painfully obvious to him just how alone he was and will be. There wasn't anyone else like him or like "her". I, Crash as I was called by "her," was forever alone. So why should he be like this anymore? Why couldn't he just not… be? Once, Crash had observed the tribesmen on this island burry one of their fallen. So he would do the same for her. "It was a better fate than leaving her alone on this beach," Crash thought. "Maybe I could join her in that pit? So that she didn't have to be as alone as I felt". The place Crash chose was their favorite spot to sit together, under the shade of particularly close palm tree to the ocean. He dug at the base of the palm tree as it started to rain. But as he removed the sand and dirt from the ground, he discovered something as he excavated. A red notebook and a strange looking talisman. 

* * *

Dr. Cortex looked at his good work from his zeppelin. Three Power Crystals were onboard his ship, along with some of his better mutants and some scientists. One of the proximity sensors alerted him that there was a surviving human shaped heat signature almost directly below. He decided to investigate, not wishing to leave one Butakan alive if he could help it. He told N Brio and Tiny to accompany him. When the landing party arrived on the ground, Cortex noticed his formal general dragging himself forward from the blaze that was Budakan. A trail of blood could be barely seen in the dim light, although some light from the conflagration nine the distance did shine on the pools of blood Crash was leaving behind. He noticed the three figures in front of him, but he simply dragged himself forward a few more feet before collapsing on the ground, exhausted and on the brink of death. For once in his life, Cortex took pity on and decided his first creation was still useful. Although Crash was mortally wounded by the mutants that were in Budakan, and burned in several places because of the fire, he had saved Niko's life. And he could thank the Atlas for that.

"Get him to the zeppelin immediately. My general has returned."

"Cortex," Dr. Brio asked skeptically, "We do not have the technology on this island base to save Subject C1's life. We'd have to take him to your space station."

"I'm aware, N Brio! And I expect you to save his life using the Cybernetic Engine. We have an excellent opportunity to see if it works."

"The Roboticize Protocol? That technology isn't even of this Earth? You don't certainly expect me to be able to save the Bandicoot's live with that technology."

"You can and you will, Brio. After all, it saved my niece's life."

"What happened to you nice was your fault. And what you did to the Budakan Village was going too far. I agreed to help you in your quest to understand the Power Gems because of our friendship. But I can't help you down this heinous path any longer afterwards."

"Fool! Do you think I care about moral conundrums anymore! I am on the cusp of achieving ultimate power. And I will do whatever it takes to obtain it. Now you will revive Subject C1 not because of our friendship, but because I ordered you to!"

"What would your brother think of you now, Cortex?"

"My Brother can't think of anything. He's dead." 

* * *

IF any of the Villagers gathered on this beach slept at all, Niko would have been surprised. It was dawn on the island of Budakan. The smell of smoke could still be smelt on the beachfront. Cries of small children could be heard to Niko's left. Those who survived the scorching of their home were now hungry, frightened, confused, and wondering where their now dead family members could be. Many of them were burned in several locations, suffered from smoke inhalation, or injured in some other way. One boy in particular was wailing fairly closely to Niko and Coco's location. He must have been only five years old, who knows if his parents were still alive. No adults were within his vicinity, and the other Budakans around were busy dealing with their own losses. Coco stood up from beside Niko, and approached the young Budakan with a smile on her face.

‹Hey there little man, where's your mommy and daddy?›

‹I don't… know› the little Budakan said crying uncontrollably. ‹Daddy just said to run, that mommy was fine and that she would meet… meet me here by the beach.›

Niko knew what happen to this poor child. His family was attacked by those unholy mutants of Cortex's and his father told him to run, so that he didn't have to see his dead mother and his father die. "I was supposed to be a warrior." Niko thought to himself. "But as my people died beside me, I froze." But Crash didn't. I was so skeptically of him for the first month I met him. But he was so calm and kind; you couldn't help but trust him. Niko thought back to the first time he and Crash went fishing together. He had told him about his mother, and how after she died, Coco was devastated, but slowly took on her role in his family, and how Coco had seemed to be happier when he was around. It doesn't seem like it would make a whole lot of sense. A creature created by the evilest man in the world, who just destroyed my entire culture, would save my life when I was surrounded by mutants and fire.

‹Don't worry. Your father will be here any moment. Now go join the adults behind you. I'm sure you're hungry.›

Niko new she had lied to the child. Just like how he could tell from the uncertainty in her voice that she was thinking of father as well. Murdered like a wild boar right in front of us. The raping of my village. The destruction of our culture. Crash's sacrifice. It wouldn't stand. Not If I had anything to do about it.

Coco stood up from where she kneeled and saw the rage in her brother's face, while Niko noticed the tears falling down her face.

‹I'm going to kill him. With my own two hands I will avenge our father's death.›

Niko was expecting Coco to try to stop him. Instead, she stared at her younger brother intently, and then responded coldly.

‹When do we leave, brother?›

Her response shocked Niko. She was never a person for violence. But he could see it now, her tearful expression replaced by a rage for blood that could only be quelled by vengeance, a warrior's pain.

‹Yeah, when do we leave?› It was Kawabata. ‹As far as I'm concerned, you don't exactly know where Cortex is at the moment.›

‹It doesn't matter, Kawabata. I will find him. I don't need your help or my sisters. I must have my vengeance alone and with honor.›

‹I am a Budakan and am as entitled to vengeance as you are, Niko. And I've been to Cortex's island before, not to mention that I'm older than you are. I don't think in good conscious let you and your sister plunge into this danger alone.›

‹My age doesn't have anything to do with this! My father was murdered by Cortex and he must be avenged!› Niko also had another reason to seek vengeance. For Crash, who had become his brother during the past months, and was responsible for him being alive. He should have stood and fought by his side. Instead he ran, just like when his father was murdered in front of him.

‹Niko,› Coco said quite calmly, ‹You're not going alone. You're not the only one who needs revenge. And it isn't only father who needs avenging.›

"It was like she was reading my thoughts" Niko said silently. Niko wasn't going to change his sister's mind. She was too stubborn for that.

‹Yes, the orange mutant.› Kawabata said, stunning Coco and Niko. They thought no one else knew of him.

‹He saved Niko's life in the fire. I was skeptical of you two's "relationship" with the creature, but after his heroics yesterday, he deserves a warrior's burial and honor from us Budakans. It would be my honor to aid you in avenging his life as well. Hopefully the power of my father can course through my veins when we combat Cortex.› He held Aku-Aku in his hands and draped the artifact around his neck. Budakan's witch doctor had not survived the fire, Niko thought. We will need his power and wisdom now more than ever.


	47. Altered Future Part 2

Chapter 46: An Altered Future Part 2

THE critical mistake someone as arrogant and ignorant as Dr. Cortex can make is underestimating his enemies and his allies. Niko, Coco, and Kawabata were oblivious to the intentions and motivations of Dr. Cortex, and they didn't care. They couldn't care less about his ambition to rule the world and unify it under his leadership. They couldn't care less about his childhood. How Cortex, his brother, and their parents grew up poverty stricken working at a carnival on continent not that conceivably far from the islands of the Budakans. They couldn't care less of how Cortex's father recognized the genius of their youngest child, and how that young boy's father borrowed and stole large sums of money in order to send his son to Madam Amberley's Academy, at the eventual expense of he and his wife's lives. And as far as Cortex was concerned, he could care less about his past, either.

Cortex was disingenuous with almost everyone in his life. His entire existence was a struggle for power, for respect and authority. He hated his meager existence as a dirt poor child who sole purpose was to tend to, feed, and clean the animals of the carnival where his parents worked and lived at. The feeling of hunger, the degrading looks of the patrons who pitied and sympathized for him and his family, and the owner of the circus who had a stranglehold on his father. He could to this day still remember and loathe some of the animals he cared for, including that stupid bandicoot that would twirl around in circles whenever Cortex was feeding him, along with the female that he was penned with. The day he left that god forsaken circus was the best day of his life, for it was the start of his campaign for the world. It was where he met his colleague and eventual partner, Nicholas (Nitrous) Brio. It was where he stole a Power Gem from the principle of the School and where he first learned of their power. It was where experiments with that gem's power magnified his curiosity with these mystic stones. It was his obsession with using the Power Gems for selfish and Chaotic purposes that Order needed to be present to bring balance.

Fate is a strange and unknowable overseer of all life, and sometimes it has a profound sense of irony. Cortex's brother, whose name Cortex forgot, was nothing special. He was a tall, dumb, brute who married a dirt poor girl who also worked at a circus whose name is not important. Their lives were also not important in the grand sense, but their daughter's would eventually have an impact. Fate is cryptic and not easily understood, and it certainly doesn't discriminate favorably to those who are "good" and those who are "evil". Nina, as Cortex's niece was named after her grandmother, loved the animals at the carnival she grew up at, including a particular bandicoot that was growing old and would die soon. But he still had vigor left in him, and was particularly healthy given his age. There was no specific reason why this particular bandicoot earned the affection of Nina Cortex none other than his playful nature. But it entwined his fate's with Nina's. Nina witnessed the murder of her grandparents, and in the smoldering wreckage that used to be their designated shack to live in, Nina pulled out her dying grandfather, enduring the severe burns to her hands and upper torso. Nina was scared, afraid, saddened and… filled with rage. Her grandfather in his dying breath told her that she too had potential to change the world, and that this carnival was a shackle that held her back. After that, Cortex's brother fell into a deep depression, became a drunken fool and lost the love of his life. The Carnival was shut down for ties to the mafia and drug trafficking, but what was important was that Cortex found out about the murder of his parents. He had his vengeance and the asshole that ran that carnival, and in turn found his niece, who was a cripple after failing to save her grandfather's life. Cortex would become the key to unshackle her from the chains that was her home. But Nina took two souvenirs from that carnival, a friend that twirled on his two hind legs before every feeding and his female companion, reminding Nina of the innocence that once was her upbringing before it burned in flames. Nitrous Brio had told Cortex that what happened to Nina was Cortex's fault. But what he actually meant, and what Cortex understood, was that it wasn't the burnt flesh that was his fault, it was the slave that she became that was his fault.

Cortex was a cancer to everyone he ever crossed paths with. Whether it was nature or nurture that made him the way he was is not important, for he became a servant of evil and Chaos. Both in the present and the past he tried to go to, he didn't need a mask to distinguish that role like Ripto had. Nina and Crash Bandicoot were two products of Cortex' ambition, one that became loyal to his ambitions and another that rose to challenge him. But he never knew that they were once friends. Underestimating you enemies and your allies can prove costly, and fate is strange.

* * *

"Why does the creature bother me, Brio?" Nina asked worriedly. Nitrous Brio was busy trying to save Subject C1's life, while still aware that the methods he is using to save his life is the reason that Nina had functioning hands. Her memory of her tragic past, or the fact that her master was her uncle, were secrets that he was obligated to keep because Cortex had ordered him to. But he was starting to doubt that Cortex would be able to kill him for his intended disobedience, so he no longer feared letting this poor girl find out the truth. Subject C1 was almost stabilized.

"He bothers you because you love him, Nina. Or should I say, you once were quite fond of him." Crash lay prostrate on an operating table unconscious. "Do you remember your grandparents, Nina? Do you remember the fire that took them away from you?"

Nina struggled to comprehend the words that Nitrous Brio was saying, for they had meaning to her but did not spark a memory. "I… I not sure what you mean? Why would I love this mutant?"

"I asked you about your grandparents, Nina. Do you remember the murder of your grandparents, and pulling your grandfather out of burning ruble? The pain you felt both in your flesh and in your heart?" Nitrous Brio was now supposed to start the N Trance Program to wipe Crash of his memories and cause him to be a blind and loyal servant of Cortex's again, like how Cortex had used the same programming on his niece. Nitrous Brio had no intention of doing such a cruel thing again.

"I… the fire… the pain." She breathed awkwardly and stumbled but did not fall. The memory caused her pain and made her flinch, for it caused her hands which did not exist to hurt.

"Do you remember the life you had before that unfortunate day? Your father, your mother, the carnival, the animals… this creature?"

"He… always spun."

Crash started to regain consciousness. The surgery was a success. Normally, the Cybernetic Engine had a tendency to "roboticiz" it's victims, but Nitrous had enough of a heart left not to scar Subject C1 with metal. It was too much of a reminder of what Cortex had done to him. Nitrous was just starting to learn that the mutants he had helped Cortex create were in fact alive… sentient. Capable of acting and being human. Subject C1 was the first that demonstrated this. His Speech Assistance Device spoke.

"Where am I? Niko..." He attempted to get up from the table, but recoiled in pain and his upper body staggered back to the operating table.

"The lives of those tribesmen should never have been taken. I'm partially responsible for the travesties that Cortex has committed, for I aided in giving him the means to wreak havoc on the innocent. I've been blind for too long on what he was becoming. But no more. I will not stand by while he threatens the lives of so many. Subject C1, you are a creation of Cortex's and I. You were loyal to Cortex ever since your creation. How did you break free of his control?"

Crash hesitated for a moment. He was aware of who N Brio was, and how he helped Cortex. But he now sounded genuine in his regret. All Crash could remember was crawling away from the burning Native Fortress. However, he did see N Brio before he passed out. He must have saved my life.

"Because of love" Crash's SAD said in its artificial, monotone voice. "And call me Crash." He again lifted himself from the operating table, this time slower and more cautiously. He got upright and then noticed the girl observing him. He recognized her from somewhere, he didn't know why, but seeing her made him at ease. He felt, comforted by her presence.

Nina stared Crash for an uncomfortable amount of time. Then she approached Crash, who still sat upright on the table. She stared right at him, first with a blank stare, then a faint smile. "I think love is the reason I broke free, too." And before Crash could react, she hugged him. Her embrace was familiar. He wasn't sure why, still, but he trusted his human, too. Like Coco and Niko, and Nitrous Brio.


	48. Altered Future Part 3

Chapter 47: An Altered Future Part 3

Dr. Cortex could not believe what had just happened. This was supposed to be his destiny; this was supposed to be his opportunity to overcome all the hardships in his life by becoming better than everyone and everything that ever held him back. His genius was to be his tool, to build and to innovate, create that which had never been built or maybe even conceived before: the Evolve-O Ray, the Cortex Vortex, the N Trance Protocol, the Cybernetic Engine, the Time Twisting Machine, and interdimensional travel; all products of his brilliance. It must have been fate's cruel joke then that his defeat would be by the hands of his best friend, his niece, his greatest living creation, and these barbarians that he thought he destroyed.

"Defeated! This is not fair! Maybe I should retire to a nice, big beach with a nice, big drink. And a woman with nice, big... bags of ice for my head."

‹I'm going to spear you right through your chest like you had done to my father, you bastard!› Niko said in a rage. It was Nina and Nitrous Brio that held him back.

"Now that sounds like something you would have said ten years ago, Cortex. When I wouldn't have thought you were a monster like I do now."

"Well it's true, Brio. Defeat can humble a man. Make him take a long hard look at his life. All the technology I've made, if it got into the wrong hands could do much… good in the world."

"But even now your arrogance shows. You did not single handedly create all the technology you boast about. The Evolve-O Ray was as much of my invention as it was yours. And the Time Twisting Machine was a design of N Tropy's."

"It is powered by the Power Gems, the only reason my design is sustainable and feasible is because of Cortex's work with the Power Gems."

"Shut up Nefarious" Nina replied bitterly.

"Don't you to realize the significance of Cortex's and I's work you treacherous little girl! Don't any of you! Interdimensional travel throughout the entirety of the orrery of worlds! And time travel to the past or the future! I've seen it! I know how it all works! The other universes! And even the tangential reality caused by the use of my Time Twisting Machine in the past. You, you little skunk! You know what I'm talking about. Your past self was sent back in time and caused a new reality because of your interactions with creatures of the past! You met the Sorceress and learned of the Convexity along with the two spirits: Aku-Aku of Order and Uka-Uka of Chaos! You know this because of that book called the 'Atlas' which you hide on the beach! What did you learn from it! Tell me!"

‹Did that crazy man just mention my father's talisman?› Kawabata asked in confusion.

"Crash, what is he talking about?" Coco asked confusedly as well.

Crash walked forward nervously and stood before N Tropy. "How do you know all of this?" Crash asked using his SAD.

"The Power Gems showed me! Like the visions you're past self had in the past. What were you visions of! What is your purpose! Tell me you little skunk! What business do you have wielding the full power of the convexity like that damn purple dragon of the past!"

* * *

Crash's life before his mutation was not something he had ever thought about. Crash had become aware that he was a mutant, but he never really fully grasped this concept and all that this implied until after he met Nina. His life, his sentience, his emotions, and feelings… his love was a fabrication. Tawna… Crash finally came up with a name for her after telling Coco about her and showing Coco her grave. "Tawna" was the Budakan word for blond. It suited her. Now, sitting on the beach staring at the sunset alone, Crash contemplated several things about himself: how old was he, why does he look the way he does, what was his purpose beside the one given to him? Did his life have a purpose, this anthropomorphic body?

"What's wrong, Crash?" Nina asked him. Nina always seemed to know what mood Crash was in. She explained this by saying her time as his caretaker at the carnival allowed her to recognize what he was feeling. And sadness was especially visible, because of the way his long ears drooped at the top of his head.

"It's what N Tropy said last week. About my purpose" Crash responded with his SAD. Normally this white little box could help Crash conceal his emotions. Not today.

"N Tropy said a lot of things. Maybe I can help you understand your purpose if you could explain to me what the hell he was talking about."

"I'd like to know, too." Coco said as she approached Crash and Nina. Kawabata and Niko were close behind. It was weird how things worked out after Cortex's defeat. It wasn't easy, but after Cortex and his minions fell, Crash was left with a foot in Budakan and another with Nina and Nitrous. The time Crash had spent with Coco and Niko before the burning of Budakan was sacred in Crash's mind, along with the few months he had with Tawna.

‹That… N Tropy… person mentioned my father's talisman during his rant, Crash› Kawabata interjected. ‹And now I see you have a duplicate over their next to that palm tree, and I have the original my dad gave to me before he died around my neck.› Kawabata pointed to the Aku-Aku pendent hanging from his neck with his robotic hand. Despite the language barrier between Kawabata and Nina, their prosthetics actually gave them something in common, which was why Kawabata had recently asked Coco to help him understand English.

"It's a long story, guys. I think it's better if I show you." Crash repeated this in Budakan. Crash did his best to ask the group to wait till tomorrow, for he found a way to answer all the ambiguity of N Tropy's rant.

But before they departed to Cortex's castle the next day, Crash read the Atlas once again. The words were different each time he read the book. He learned of the fate of Niko and Budakan on his first read, and then the history of Cortex and his niece on his second read. The book was honest; it spoke unbiased of the life of Neo Cortex, so Crash now understood him. After all, Cortex and Nina were responsible for his creation. It was only after his defeat and the restoration of Budakan did Crash permit himself to read the red book once again. This time, he reread of a different past, one so close and yet tangentially different; and of a dragon whose life he had profoundly changed and who profoundly changed his.

* * *

"This is N Tropy's Time Twisting Machine, Crash. What do you plan on doing with it?" Nina asked curiously.

"This machine allows you to peer into the past along with traveling through it" Crash responded.

"And how do you know this?" Coco asked before Nina could.

"The Atlas."

‹That's the red book, right› Niko asked in confusion. Unlike Crunch, Niko did not have any interest in learning English.

"This is what you meant," Nina responded, "when you said you found a way to show us what N Tropy was talking about."

"Indeed it is" N Brio answered as he entered the room. "I'll activate the machine, Crash. Hopefully this solves the riddle that N Tropy has told."

"Hopefully it proves my doubts wrong." Crash responded. "Focus on my past first, Brio. Go back as far as you can."

The large sphere appeared in the center of the room, to the Budakans amazement. Nina and Crash watched unmoving as the sphere grew in size and eradiated bolts of spiraling energy, which were caught and naturalized by an invisible wall of magnetic and electric energy. Nitrous Brio calibrated the delicate machine which was currently being powered by all seven Power Gems. He set the machine's scope to a specific time in the past, and changed its location to focus on Crash himself. What ended up happening confused Brio.

"N Tropy was certainly right about tangential realities, Crash. Apparently, you did travel to the past once in your life, because I can identify two unique timelines in which you existed."

"I want to know all about it, Brio. Show me" Crash asked. Everyone then stared intriguingly at the large sphere.

Crash's life at the carnival, his mutation via the Evolve-O Ray, his escape from Cortex and his life on the beach with Tawna, his reaction to her death and attempt to suicide was not news to Crash, even though it shocked Coco and Nina. The sphere continued with images of Coco finding Crash on the beach and brining him to Budakan, Crash and Niko's time together fishing, Coco and Crash's time together with her teaching him Budakan and forming a bond, the burning of Budakan. It wasn't anything new to the group. But then images of Niko being entrapped by fire in a collapsing hut, his struggle to free himself and dragging himself out of the conflagration, his mutilated body being discovered by Cortex and the transformation that occurred to him via the Cybernetic Engine, Aku-Aku deeming Crash worthy of his power, Cortex's rescue by N Gin after Crash defeated him, Crash's grief alone on the beach, Coco and Crunch's wedding and the attack by Cortex and N Gin during their celebration, N Brio saving Coco and Crash and helping attempt to foil Cortex's plans, his death at the hands of N Tropy, N Gin attacking his own sister and nearly killing Crash, Crash's transformation via the convexity, and his accidental traversal into the past. It all played out in front of them. An alternate past.

"Oh my god." Coco whispered as she looked at her brother.

‹That was the fate you spared me from, Crash. You saved me from becoming Cortex's monster› Niko replied humbly.

"Brio, switch back to our timeline and go back a hundred thousand years. Focus on a Dragon named Spyro" Crash then asked without hesitation using his SAD.

N Brio was still a little shocked seeing his own death play out, but he obliged to Crash's demand and the Time Twisting Machine peered back into the past.

Together, they watched Crash and Spyro form a friendship, their struggles to defeat Gnasty Gnork, and then their time spent together before the Sorceress attacked, and eventually watched Crash's sacrifice.


	49. Friendship Across Lifetimes

**Chapter 48: A Friendship Across Lifetimes**

SPYRO buried the Atlas and hoped that one day, his brother would find it. It was his last request, and this was the least Spyro could do for him.

"Spyro," Cynder asked once he finished digging, "do you really think Crash will find the Atlas a hundred thousand years from now? What if he doesn't even exist or the book deteriorates after so long."

"I know he will find it, Cynder. I asked Thomas about this, he said I could use a certain spell to ensure the book doesn't age for a very long time."

"Well, I hope your right, Spyro."

Spyro could tell that Cynder felt nervous. It must have been the alternate past that they had read about, the past where Crash never showed up and intervened because he didn't even exist yet in the future. Spyro had killed her; a twisted mutated version of Cynder conjured by Malefor, but her nevertheless. Sparx sacrificing his life to keep Spyro alive after his brutal final encounter with Malefor, and then the solemn life that Spyro lead afterwards with Ember and his two kids. Kindle… his son's final words which he said at Spyro's funeral made Spyro cry in both regret and shame as he read his speech through the Atlas. Loosing Cynder had caused him so much pain that he couldn't even have a family afterwards. Cynder and Spyro had fallen in love, and it was taken from them. And now, here they are together on the beach.

"Spyro," Cynder said after a long pause, "do you remember when Crash found out that Flame liked Ember?"

"How could I forget? Ember finally gave me her necklace that she made for me on that day." Spyro had to hold back more emotion.

"Do you know how he had found out?"

"No, did Crash tell you?"

"Sort of. It was when we all were at Dragon Shores. I had asked him how he knew."

"And what did he say?"

"He said he made an educated guessed."

"He didn't know for sure?"

"Oh I know now that he knew. Because he also told me when I was ready, I should tell you how I feel."

"About what?"

Cynder reached forward and kissed him. Spyro tensed up at first, not expecting the kiss nor knowing what to do, but the moment subsided and he kissed back. He did love her, all this time. The sun set in the distance, and Spyro thought about Crash's tradition of watching the sun set everyday he could. He himself would have to try that with Cynder.

"I'll always remember what happened in another time, how different it was, what could have been had Crash not accidently been sent into the past."

"It means we should cherish the life we have now. I never want to live the life I had when I lost you. The shame, the regret, It was something I feared every day since I was destined to defeat the Sorceress. That somehow I would fail, I wouldn't be able to do what everyone depended on me doing. That because of my inability, the people I love would die."

"Then let's cherish every day we have together, Spyro. Let's explore the world and live the life you've always wanted, like your father did."

Spyro smiled and looked at the young Black Dragoness he wanted to spend the rest of his life with now. Crash was right, when you find this strange feeling called love, it's the best thing in the world.

"You have to promise me one thing Cynder. Every day we can, we watch the sunset together."

"I wouldn't want it any other way."

* * *

Coco walked up to Crash and sat down next to him on the beach.

"So Nina and Kawabata seem to be getting along quite well. It's weird, seeing yourself marry someone, and now in an 'alternate reality' watching him fall for someone else."

"Do you love him?" Crash asked with his SAD as he stared at the horizon.

"I don't know. I guess it was the time I got to know him in the other reality that allowed me to love him after my brother… 'died'. But now, I guess not. I can't believe Nina agreed to live in Budakan, either."

"I think I have… had feelings for Nina."

"You think these feelings emerged because you found out how much she cared for you pre-mutation?"

"Yeah, I guess. Memories of that time are vague. They're not fluid, and they center on emotions and sensations rather than tangible memories. But I think I do remember her smile, and her affection."

"Well, maybe you should say something."

"No. I love…d Tawna. But she's gone. I keep thinking about my purpose in life, and the question gets harder to answer once I think about my former self. He lost Tawna as well, and then he lost you and Niko after being trapped in the past. He was always alone, the only of his kind, but found comfort in the families he made. And he was willing to sacrifice his life for those he carried about, even if he struggled with find a reason for himself to live. But that person is still me right? Is that my purpose, then, to protect those I care about? To be better than what I was created for?"

"I'll tell you something my mother once told me." ˂Life is not what you make of it, it's the lives of others whom you helped make.˃

"You know Niko told me about your mother and how much her death meant to you."

"It gave me new purpose. To protect my family."

"Am I part of your family?"

"Yes." Coco hugged him and Crash started tearing up. "What's wrong, Crash?"

"I was also thinking of Spyro. I think I… miss him."

"You yourself have never met him or any Dragon."

"I don't believe that. I think somehow I remember what my past self-felt. Those visions that N Tropy talked about, they were about Spyro."

"The visions given to him and you by the Power Gems?"

"Yeah. I have a family in the past as well, and I've never seen them and will never see them."

"That may be true Crash. But take solace in the fact that you helped shape their lives for the better."

"And I will grateful for how they shaped my life. Thanks Spyro." Crash managed to say those last two words perfectly without the use of his SAD. Coco looked at him surprisingly, and reveled at hearing her best friend's voice clearly for the first time. She leaned over and kissed him on the check, and then handed him a wampa fruit.

* * *

Crash stood up and walked towards the shoreline as Coco watched sitting underneath a palm tree. Cynder waited as Spyro and Sparx watched the sunset together.

Separated not by any distance but only by time, Spyro and Crash watched the sun set together. Crash looked onward with a serious look on his face as he finally found his purpose in life and content with it; Spyro with a single tear in his eye as he shared his lost brother's pastime with him. Brothers and friends whose paths intertwined either by fate or by design; a friendship was forged between them, a friendship across lifetimes.

**End Part 2**

**FIN**

* * *

The conclusion to _Crash and Spyro, A Friendship ACross Lifetimes_ Hopefully you enjoyed the story. I know I put a lot of effort into making it stand out with a unique plot. But hopefully you guys share my opinion of the story. **Let me Know what you think by your honest review below!**

And there will be an epilogue to tie up some loose ends in this story and finally reveal to all who care what my next project is!

© Crash and Spyro are properties of Activision (unfortunately)


	50. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

CORTEX stared at the dead body of Ripto, his tormenter and imprisoner for almost thirty years. He was brought here with an arrow in his chest. Apparently his assignment given to him by the Sorceress didn't go so well. Serves the bastard right. What peaked Cortex's curiosity was the talisman on his neck. Subject C1 had a very similar necklace given to him by the witch doctor of Budakan, and this trinket had to be the reason why he was able to stand up to me and my mutants. In Cortex's study of the past before he ended up here, he had learned a lot of "Aku-Aku." The witch doctor of Budakan was merely a herald of this ancient spirit's power. The Spirit of Order, which like it's opposite, drew power from the Power Gems. It explains Crash's transformation at the Time Twisting Machine. He had tapped into the Convexity. But now the Spirit of Chaos, Uka-Uka, was waiting before him. Was he, Dr. Cortex, worthy being an agent of Chaos? "There isn't anyone more qualified" Cortex thought to himself.

He took the talisman from Ripto's stiff and unmoving body and draped the artifact around his neck. Cortex no longer felt like an old man, he felt like his life had purpose again. He could sense what the artifact was doing, engraving itself on him, becoming a part of him and offering it's wisdom while slowly creeping into his mind. Cortex now had a plan, to wreak chaos through careful and methodical planning. He would not be under the thumb of a now deceased Sorceress whom Ripto had been through his entire meager life. He would use the new Time Twisting Machine that Ripto had ordered him to build to return to the future where he would own it. All he needed was those Seven Power Gems now in the Realm of the Dragons. Spyro was the current bearer of the Spirit of Order. A dragonfly named Sparks was the opposite of the spirit entangled in Uka-Uka. Fighting them would be challenging, since Cortex himself wasn't magically inclined in the least. He would need the aid of Gnasty Gnork, who even though he didn't know it, his cybernetic implants keeping him alive also gave complete control of his life to Cortex. And he would need the other Purple Dragon, Malefor. He had seen the full power of the Convexity when Spyro defeated the Sorceress, and now was in hiding. I will have to convince him of the errors of his cowardice by showing him that he too could wield the convexity, like how Ripto should have if he wasn't an idiot or a true champion of Chaos.

hr  
Andros never lost his patience. Two hundred and seventy five years of life had earned him that virtue. However, what he sought to do now may cost him his immortality. He was going to consult with a god, a God of Destruction.

He was confronted by the Hand of Mastery. "Why have you come here, mortal?"

"Where is your brother? The… Hand of Chaos? No that's not right... _Crazy Hand_?"

"Your answer me with questions, mortal! State your business or be destroyed."

Master Hand must have been intrigued as to how a mere mortal could step foot inside a realm outside space and time which surrounded the Orrery of Worlds. It was probably why he wasn't killed on the spot. There was no use lying or stalling with this deity. He needed to speak to the God controlling him.

"Now I wouldn't want to be _smashed_ by you and your _brother_. I simply seek to carry out the role of [indistinguishable], your master, except on an accelerated time table."

"To speak his name is _Taboo_, Andros Tager of the Lylat System."

"I'm actually from planet Earth, Master Hand."

"You murdered or enslaved that planet's entire population a hundred and fifty years ago, including that planet's Herald of Order and wielder of the Triforce. And then you set your sights on the Lylat System itself. You have no home, so I chose your current residence."

"To the point, Master Hand, I seek to continue my righteous destruction and attack Heaven itself: Dreamworld. By the way, does that make this place Nightmareland? Or is it the _Subspace_?"

"Mortals label things, we do not. The names of such things like the Chaos Force, The Triforce, and The Convexity, so on and so forth are irrelevant and unimportant to the Gods who wield them divinely."

"But we mortals, I included, are beginning to wield these cosmic forces."

"Yes, and it has made your universes impure and thus they must be destroyed."

"Well, I simply request to be an instrument of your master's destructions."

"An assault on Dreamworld is impossible for a mortal."

"I was able to get to the Subspace Emissary, Master Hand, if that is what his place is called. Doesn't really sound like the opposite of Dreamland if you ask me."

"Silence! Your insolence and presence here will no longer be tolerated."

"HALT MASTER HAND!"

The voice was divine and terrifying, even to Master Hand. It commanded your absolute attention as you cowered in fear. [indistinguishable] made himself visible. If there was an "Anti-God," he would be it, but the concept of Gods didn't settle with Andros. Despite what these creatures that existed outside time and space though, they were no better than him. Andros fell to one knee and bowed in respect, however. This… Taboo, was one of the most powerful beings in existence.

"To cause the heavens to fall would be the end of everything. To end the struggle between order and chaos, the solution to an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object. Absolute ending to all life, all matter, all entropy. The fulfillment of the destiny of everything… nothingness. Are you, murder of millions, capable of causing absolute end?"

"With your permission, I'll murder the entire omniverse." Andros allowed himself a smile.

_Crash and Spyro will meet again, and this time, the omniverse will be at stake!_

* * *

"Uhm... yeah, **** that _A Journey of Uncanny Heroes _****! Gone and deleted from awhile ago... Wait, why am I being censored? Maybe so I don't come of as a immature ***hole. Again Marcus? Anyway, I'm off track. What was I talking about... Oh yeah, the crossed off ****. Oh, and yes, this is Sonic speaking, by the way. Don't believe me, check out my Twitter page at sonic_hedgehog, (though I won't respond if you DM me, because even though I'm hilarious, I'm still a corporate shill for SEGA and hence why the Sonic fanbase can't have nice things). Well... I'm not the _real _Sonic, a fanfic can never truly encapsulates the real Sonic the Hedgehog!"

Well hello there, the author speaking here. And I am controlling the strings here Sonic.

"Yes, this author will be the _burden _of my existence... the _burden _of this hero."

That's an allusion to your story I'm writing about you. Glad you noticed.

"Yes it is. What, you felt the need to write that last line because you think your readers aren't smart enough to figure it out. You're so pretentious, you even made a freaking timeline (on DeviantArt, btw, and no I can't leave a link for it) for one of your own fanfics (A Dragon out of Time, and no, I still can't leave links) because of how convoluted and confusing you made that story, and assumed your audience would be too lost by your own storytelling, which by the way would be your fault in the first place. So why don't you stop lecturing them and give them a little credit?"

I'm giving you the the ability to leave hyperlinks (on DeviantArt, that site I publish to where I actually care the most)? Oh jeez, In some ways you're going to be my burden, aren't you?. Why am I letting you break the fourth wall again? Go ahead Sonic, explain, since I'm too vain apparently to do so without patronizing whoever's reading (hi there, btw).

"Because I'm the greatest video game mascot/character ever! That's why!"

But I love Crash Bandicoot.

"Fuck Crash Bandicoot. (Oh, the censoring off, nice) And I don't care if I'm going to have to interact with him in your fourth story of the _Gaming Omniverse_, the internet has spoken, and I'm the greatest! So make my story good. There are a million other fanfics about me, hopefully you can do it right... even if you've NEVER played a Sonic or Megaman game in your LIFE dude with underlined text (which most likely is formated away by annoying filter)!

Why did you (the you is supposed to be crossed out, but I don't know if Fanfiction will remove the HTML for it or not) I just tell you guys that?

"Because it's a nice segway into explaining the context underlined dialogue (maybe), besides it being a flag to let the reader know the author is himself talking in his own story."

Very perceptive Sonic, even though I JUST wrote that. You and I are the same voice!

"Except that I am a fictional character whose canon you're going to fuck with for his own pleasure. Crash and Spyro fans already got the idea."

Hey, for the most part I think my audience enjoyed how I tinkered with those two beloved franchises (well if you got to this point 90,000 words into the story than hell yeah you did. THANKS FOR THAT BTW, even if you didn't watch, favorite, or review the story, I still LOVE YOU!). I for one think I did a good job streamlining those two canons into a nice 50 chapter story which made sense. A challenge I now have with you and Megaman.

"But you already aborted your first attempt at a Sonic fanfic a few months ago (hence the opening joke... man I put a lot of stuff in parentheses, don't I?). Whatever happened to _Sonic and Megaman, A Journey of Uncanny Heroes _by the way oh great author (though I'm sure no one actually heard of that story here or cares, but let's get this conversation over with)"

Don't mind Sonic, this little bout between him (me) and I is just to suggest that I can hate on myself in a semi-serious manner. I don't actually think or want Sonic to be this smug or arrogant in his games. It's just an interpretation of him I'm going to use in his story I'm writing about him. This is NOT my personal preference on his behavior.

"Ugh, enough with the explanations! I'm sure whoever's reading is capable of figuring out what's going on here. And I'm also sure the novelty of this conversation is wearing off."

Okay than, to the point. _Sonic and Megaman, A Journey of Uncanny Heroes _is no more. Instead, my newest story which will be starting April 7th is _Sonic and Megaman, A Burden of Heroes._ In this story, Sonic is a self aware character who can break the fourth wall. Also, in this story, I, MarcusRak , will narrate and speak to only Sonic himself, and those instances of dialogue will be underlined, as such (maybe).

"Lucky me. And if you were wondering, yes, _Sonic and Megaman, A Burden of Heroes_ will still be the second story of the _Gaming Omniverse Tetralogy._ God, why didn't you just call it a 'Saga'. What, you wanted to sound smart and let people know that 'tetralogy' comes after trilogy? Smartass."

The point is YOU'RE the smartass, and that's part of your personality in the next story. I'm just further illustrating that by having you insult me.

"Still explaining things I see. I guess a good question for you then is Megaman or anyone else in your next story self aware fourth wall breakers? Well, I already know, I actually know the whole plot of the story. I will die in the story by the way... SPOILERS!"

What, no! Sonic doesn't die! Well, he sort of... I'm not talking about it! And yes, you are the only one who 'knows' the truth of your own existence (well, not technically true, but again, SPOILERS). It's your burden.

"Another allusion to your own work, you just can't help yourself, can't you? Well there you have it folks. I'm Sonic the Hedgehog, a self-obsessed, omnipotent, asshole who just so happens to be the greatest video game character ever... who's sharing his own story with Megaman. What, your too lazy to write separate stories for me and Megaman and include them in your oh so elaborate series of stories which obviously is inspired by both their comic book crossover event and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (hence the crossover with Crash, Spyro, and most of the Nintendo cast of characters)?"

No, I feel the Eggman's roboticize protocol and Willy's use and manipulation of androids classes well, and a clever story interweaving you two's plots and personalities together could be both unique and engaging for fans of both you and Megaman's games.

"Sure... Let me guess, you're inspiration for self-aware Sonic was Deadpool, wasn't it For some weird reason your brain thinks a hybrid combo of Deadpool and Sonic the hedgehog would make for a great story? Weirdo."

Uhm... Yes. And the new Lego Batman movie, and sort of Sonic Dimensions.

"So do I get to murder people indiscriminately then? Or will that be left to Shadow or your GOD AWFUL interpretation of Metal Sonic? You don't have to answer, I already know what happens in the story (god, now I'm hand holding the audience, plus I just said earlier I know what happens in the plot, god dammit Marcus!)."

I'll let the story speak for itself, and by that I mean you Sonic. Find it in the Sonic x Megaman section of . I'll see you, the reader, their on April 7th (which just so happens to be the one year anniversary of Crash and Spyro, A Friendship Across Lifetimes, but I digress).

"See you there. And btw brilliant idea was it to start a crossover series with Crash and Spyro... cough, cough sarcasm cough, cough? There like the least popular of characters planned to be in the _Gaming Omniverse _storyline anyway. You should have started with me, you would have definitely gotten more watchers. But you were blinded by nostalgia goggles.

And they'll never come off. Crash and Spyro for life!


	51. Bonus Chapter

**Bonus Chapter: With Spyro in Spirit **

"Noooooooo!" Spyro screamed. He ran forward to help his friend; he turned Crash onto his back. He was smiling softly, though tears were streaming out of his eyes. He was dying. Sparx landed on his chest, and started to heal him.

"Thank you Spyro, for letting me into your family. For showing me happiness, again." Crash uttered with his SAD. Sparx began to glow as he attempted to save Crash's life. "I… l-ov-e you." He spoke almost silently without his SAD. He could breathe anymore, but had managed to get the words out of his mouth. Crash lifted his right arm, slowly, and placed in on Spyro's shoulder, and smiled. His eyes closed and Crash went limp, his right arm dropping to the ground. Sparx continued his effort to resuscitate him, but Crash had died before he had a chance to sacrifice his life energy. All of the Resistance, the Dragons, and the Sorceress were around, but for Spyro, he could only think about his friend, brother, who lay dead in front of him. Spyro placed his right arm under Crash's head, lifted his upper torso, and hugged him. His tears dropped onto Crash's shoulder, as Crash's blood covered Spyro's underbelly.

_Crash was staring at Spyro and his own dead body. What… what is this?_

Spyro hugged Crash for ten seconds, and then gently rested his head against the cobblestone. Spyro's eyes were sealed shut, with tears falling from the brim between his eyelids. He stood up, with an overwhelming feeling of sadness and… fear. And it angered him.

_Spyro__…_

"You failed Spyro" The Sorceress said mockingly. "Everyone behind you will die the same way this Crash did. And I'm going to make you watch. I'm going to make you feel the depth of your failure. I am the Sorceress, commander of the seven Power Gems. You never stood a chance against me."

Spyro reached inside for the anger, for the regret, for the sadness, for the pain that would give him the strength he needed to avenge his best friend. The result was a flood from the outside. He yelled out in rage, and a torrent of flames erupted from his mouth. The plume tore through the air and climbed high and wide. He then looked at the Sorceress and opened his eyes, still crying.

_He can__'__t hear you I__'__m afraid. However it appears through your sacrifice he has found the power to protect those he loves._

_Crash could only watch in amazement. The golden glow and the vicious winds; Spyro had completely changed, he wasn't purple anymore. And next to him was my body, covered in and seeping blood onto the cobblestone bridge below: lifeless. Crash attempted to use his SAD, which normally worked reflexively to his thought. But the device on his neck didn't make any noise. He felt for the small white box attached to a brown color on his neck but couldn't feel it. He couldn't even feel his neck._

_You won__'__t need your Speech Assistance Device to talk anymore._

_This voice... it was inside his mind. Crash couldn't feel anything, no tactile sensations whatsoever. It's at this point he looked around and couldn't identify the source of who was talking to him. And then Crash saw his hand, which he could see through. It was translucent, as well as the rest of his body._

_Who are you? Where are you?_

Spyro flew forward in a surge of anger rammed into the Sorceress.

_I was once a Faun who left this world too soon; the adopted daughter of the Professor whom you've met recently._

_El__… __Elora. But six years ago__…_

_I died, like you have 60 seconds ago._

_Crash still couldn't understand what was going on. He just felt lost, confused, saddened, and afraid._

_You__'__ve gone through a lot, haven__'__t you. You__'__ve lost so much: Tawna, Coco, Niko, and now Spyro._

_How__… __how do you know this?_

_For the same reason you can hear me.__Suddenly, she appeared on the bridge beside Crash, appearing exactly as the painting of her depicted which Crash saw when he met the Professor, except semitransparent. __There is nothing to hide between two spirts, what I know, you know, and vice versa._

_At that moment, Crash "knew" Elora. Her memories, his own. What she has felt, who she has known, the faces of whom she's loved, and those she's lost. Crash then also knew exactly what was going on; what had happened to him had happened to her six years ago._

_It shouldn__'__t be long now, Spyro has all but won._

THE Sorceress lay on the ground, unmoving. There fight had lasted all of five minutes, but she knew she was defeated. Spyro stood in front of her, the power of the convexity surging through him.

_Elora and Crash watched as Spyro stood over the defeated Sorceress. __For those whose lives are taken or have run out, normally their souls will ascend out of this plane of existence. But for a seldom few, they won't let go. If in their deepest desire they so strongly wish to remain despite everlasting peace and tranquility beyond, a soul will remain here. Even if consciously they feel otherwise, you can't lie to yourself. For my entire life, I wished to help the Professor in any way I could in ending the Sorceress' rule over the world. How could I not, he was like a father to me, the only parent I ever had. We had worked tirelessly on building a portal to the Dragon Realms, and even though we never succeed while I was alive, it was happiest time of my life. I guess I couldn't let go of that. After finding Spyro on the outskirts of Summer Falls, I was invigorated with hope. And then as quickly as I had had hope, I was killed. The shock still really hasn't worn off and I thought it never would, until tonight._

"I don't expect you to show me mercy Spyro" The Sorceress said in pain. "You wield the convexity now. I instead only have this… this to t-tell you." She was struggling to speak. "I carried out… the prophesy of the [unintelligible]. Act… acted as its herald. Used the con-vexity like I was shown upon first… seeing all seven Power Gems… like my father… before me. This universe… is impure… and it must be cleansed."

_Like you Elora - I... my soul - does not wish to leave?_

_Yes, and maybe even more so you wish to see Coco and return to your future. You're life has been so short, you never could have satisfied your soul's ambition to live in the amount of time you've had. But in that short time you've had so many to love and have lost all of them. And even though Tawna awaits your presence beyond, deep down you're not done here on Earth._

_Elora mentioning the love of his life sent a rifle of pain through his soul. After all this time Crash still yearned to be with her again, and apparently it was possible. But even so Crash realized that what Elora had said was also true. In his heart he still yearned to see Coco again._

_It__'__s a strange fate to have, you and I. We seek closure, resolution for the time we spent alive. For it to have meaning and fulfillment. For me it was to end the suffering for the citizens of Avalar; my life's ambition. And even in death I sought this purpose and remained to see it through. I watched as the Professor grieved for me, failing a promise he made to my mother whom I've never seen. The despair and pain in him was almost too much to bear, but I had nowhere else to go. So for six years I watched over him as an observer, witnessing everything he did to help the resistance without me… with a bit of his passion gone after I died. And then you and Spyro appeared in Avalar three weeks ago. And tonight Avalar is liberated. You and Spyro truly are heroes. Thank you, for all you two have done. Someday, I'll get the chance to thank Spyro as well._

_Crash then felt as if Elora was walking away, even though she only appeared less visible than before._

_Find closure, Crash. Until then, you are bound to this world. Whether you find it in the next ten minutes or the next hundred thousand years, the path ahead of you will be long and painful, emotional and solemn. But when you resolve the pain in your heart which keeps you here, know peace awaits you. Goodbye Crash, until we meet again and you can formally introduce me to Tawna._

_Elora smiled, and then she vanished, no longer sensible or visible to Crash. She must have finally ascended, her ties to Earth finally cut._

At that point Spyro had returned to Crash's dead body. He sat next to his unmoving body in silence. Eventually Cynder and Ember approached Spyro, who still emanated a blinding golden aura and produced violent winds in all directions. And even with all his power at his disposal, Spyro felt helpless.

_Next to him Crash stood, unsure of what to do. __I__'__m right here Spyro.__It was pointless notion. How can I find peace when all that is around me is despair?_

_He remained by Spyro's side as his unfathomable power subsided and he wept over Crash's body, and as Spyro carried it to Artisans. He watched over Spyro as he slept that night, occasionally weeping. It felt wrong, he didn't belong here. I can't be here for Spyro if he doesn't know I'm here. The pain was overwhelming. It felt different than when he was alive. Like if his grief was damaging to his soul. Crash drifted away, aimlessly through Artisans, lost in thought about what Elora said to him before she ascended. Closure… Well I want it, now! I can't stay here. I don't belong here. But where am I supposed to go? How do I ascend? How do I let go of what keeps me here? How do I be with Tawna?_

Sparks flew out Spyro's window and followed the drifting spirit until he was floating over his shoulder.

_Sparks__… __how?_

Over the past few months, Sparx had met a stranger that ended up helping Spyro in ways he couldn't do himself. And now that close friend needed his help; someone to guide him while he's lost and without purpose.

_I chose you as my Herald of Order for very similar reasons as to why Sparx chose Spyro to guard and protect, Crash._

_That voice, this presence… __Aku-Aku?_

_Regardless of distance I can communicate with you for I am also a Spirit. Although I am bound to this physical plane for a different reason then you, Crash. My purpose is to preserve Order for all eternity. However, you remain in this plane of existence because even though your sacrifice to free Sparx was noble and a choice you made freely, you did so because you thought your life was worth expending. But as Elora explained to you, you cannot lie to yourself. You yearn to return to the future with the family you found their; for this reason you were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice since you saw no way to return to them. But the bound you forged here in the past with Spyro is as strong as the family you couldn't return to in the future. You wish to live here and there, which are both impossible and why you can't have closure. In giving your life to free Sparx, you forfeited your chance at a fulfilling life here in Artisans, and it is for that reason you soul is in turmoil and seeks some form of resolution._

The truth Aku-Aku was conveying to Crash was almost too overwhelming for him to hear. Sparx could feel the anguish in Crash's thoughts as he hovered around him.

_I__… __I had to save Sparx life. He meant so much to Spyro. M-More than I did._

_I don__'__t know if that is true Crash. I do know your sacrifice to keep Sparx alive was not a mistake. What I am telling you is that your decision to do so is why you're in so much grief. You thought you were willing to accept death to keep Sparx alive and Spyro happy, but the truth is that you weren't._

Sparx beamed in front of Crash who was now looking at the Dragonfly in front of him.

_Sparx is grateful, by the way._

_At this point, Crash remembered something he said to Spyro a while ago. __So you two are getting along like I said you would._

_You could say we serve the same purpose and thus have a lot in common._

_What do I do now Aku-Aku? How do I ascend like Elora? What do I need for closure?_

_I don__'__t know Crash. I know this isn__'__t what you want to here, but only your soul knows what it needs to let go. Although I think I can make a suggestion._

_And what is that?_

_Remain by Spyro, live life vicariously through him. He will grieve for you for a while, but eventually he will move on. He has a whole life in front of him, and you yourself have all the time in the universe to find what you need to move on. So why don__'__t you stick around. Sparks and I will keep you company._

Sparks flew around Crash twice and then made his way back to Spyro's house.

_Crash followed_.

* * *

Spyro smiled and looked at the young Black Dragoness he wanted to spend the rest of his life with now. Crash was right, when you find this strange feeling called love, it's the best thing in the world.

"You have to promise me one thing Cynder. Every day we can, we watch the sunset together."

"I wouldn't want it any other way."

_Crash accompanied Spyro and Cynder on the beach and as the days passed. Sparks from time to time would look at Crash, acknowledging his presence following him and Spyro around in spirit. True to Cynder's word, she and Spyro did start traveling the world together, visiting all kinds of exotic and beautiful places across Avalar. In one place they visited together, Colossus, Spyro and Cynder were enjoying the view of the mountains and the chapel built on top of the range when a monk greeted the two of them._

"Greetings, Spyro."

"Well hello Monk Colosi" Spyro replied happily. "I promise I'll try out that hockey game you were talking about soon, alright."

"Well yes, that sounds exiting. But in the meantime, as a monk I think there's something I should inform you about."

"And what exactly is that?" Cynder asked half interested, interrupting Spyro.

"There is a spirit which seems to be following you around. It seems hurt, not physically but emotionally, and also seems closely twined with your soul."

"What? Really?" Spyro said worriedly.

_This monk just told Spyro of my existence.__Crash wasn__'__t sure__if__he should be nervous or__excited._

"What on Earth are you talking about?" Cynder said doubtfully.

"Cynder," Spyro said cautiously, "I think he's talking about Crash."

"Is that even possible?" Cynder asked doubtfully.

"If this 'Crash' creature you speak of is someone you know," Colosi interjected, "then I suggest you find a way to communicate with him.A mortal spirit is not meant to be bound to the physical world. If you can help him ascend, you should, for it will give the troubled spirit closure and peace."

"How!? How do I talk with him?" Spyro said anxiously.

"I'd recommend through dreaming, when you mind is closest to the spiritual plane."

_Sparks glanced at Crash as Spyro thanked Colosi for the news._

Later that night, Cynder was in a heated argument with Spyro.

"Oh come on Spyro, he talks to goats!"

"If there's a chance that Crash is still somehow with me, I have to try and reach out to him. I owe it to him!"

"Listen, Spyro. I loved Crash as much as you did, but he's gone, okay. You just need to accept that. We spread his ashes and together we said goodbye. It isn't healthy to obsess over this."

"Well it can't hurt to try, Cynder. Crash is in pain and needs my help. Maybe I can offer it to him."

"Spyro, he sacrificed his life to rescue Sparx and did so because he knew how much he meant to you. He died for him and for you. Don't belittle that by pretending he's still a ghost hanging around."

_Although Spyro was right, Crash hoped Cynder could dissuade Spyro from doing this. Crash didn't want Spyro focusing on me. He had his own life to live and he wasn't apart of it anymore._

"You don't understand, do you Cynder? Crash was in pain the entire time he was in the past. He told both of us his future, don't you remember. I've helped him move on once, and maybe I can do it again and ease his troubled spirit. I'm not going to abandon him!"

"Whatever Spyro! You dream Crash up tonight and talk to him in your sleep for all I care. I just hope you give this lunacy up eventually. I'm taking the portal back to Artisans."

"How can you just leave Cynder! Don't you care?"

"I care about you Spyro. And I'm leaving because I know Crash isn't a ghost following you around. His ashes are on Artisans Beach, and maybe his spirit is even in heaven... I don't know! All I do know is that this obsession isn't healthy and me being around isn't going to make you stop. So goodnight and goodbye. Maybe I'll see you in Artisans tomorrow after this."

And like that, Cynder was gone. "Well I won't forget about you Crash. If you're out there, just know that I'll always be here for you brother." Spyro whispered to Crash.

_With that final remark, Spyro soon ventured to sleep alone. The voice was soft at first, but eventually Crash could feel Spyro searching for him. He was dreaming of course, but Spyro patiently waited a response. Crash wasn't sure what to do, but eventually he laid down next to Spyro, and almost like in the Peace Keepers Realm so many months ago, they both had dreams that profoundly changed them._

_"__Crash, is that you?"_

_Crash knew this was Spyro's dream, for they were no longer in a Colossus, but instead at Artisans Beach together. He also knew it was a dream for he could speak normally without his SAD, and somehow Spyro came up with a voice that suited him._

_"__Hello Spyro."_

_"__I knew it was true, I knew Colosi wasn't lying." Spyro approached Crash intending to embrace him, but Crash disappeared and reappeared behind him, to Spyro's surprise. This was going to be hard for Crash to do, but it had to be done._

_"__Listen, Spyro... We will always be brothers and the time we got to know each other I will always cherish. Maybe someday my future self will find the Atlas you buried on this beach and will better his life with what those texts say some day. But the truth is that our friendship was an accident. I was never meant to befriend you. I lost a lot of people very close to me when I was brought to this time, and always wanted to return while I was still alive. I enjoyed the time we spent together - you made me feel like a part of your family during a tough time - but deep down I didn't belong. Nevertheless, the friendship we forged was real enough to me, so when Sparx was abducted and taken to the Sorceress, I was willing to risk anything to save him because, unlike with Niko, I had a opportunity to prevent you from losing someone that close to you. And that decision was something I have come to grips with. I had no future in Artisans, with you. At most all I'd ever be to you is like a brother. Family sure, but in time you would move on and I'd be the only of my kind out of time. Of course I would have preferred to survive the ordeal with the Sorceress, but I don't regret the decision I made, because I made it for you."_

_Crash was lying to himself about accepting his current fate, but hopefully Spyro couldn't tell._

_"__But, Crash…"_

_"__There's nothing you need to do for me now, Spyro. Your friendship and companionship while I was alive is more than I could have ever asked for. I'm honored and glad to have know someone as brave and humble as you for the little time that I did. Be that same Dragon for Cynder. She's going to be the best thing in your life. Cherish it, spend every waking moment with her and every sunset together. Start a family of your own with her, grow old with her and spend every last moment together. Don't let me hold you back. I wish you the best of luck. And when we meet again, I'll formally introduce you and Cynder to Tawna and Coco."_

_"__I… thanks Crash. I will. But even if I move on I'll always miss you, too... It... it was nice to see you one last time." Spyro was crying in the dream and in real life, but they were tears of joy. Crash had to bury his tears of pain. The lie was almost too hard to tell. With this, he was saying goodbye forever._

_They hugged, it felt so real to Crash. Almost like he was alive and they both were on the beach together. Watching the sunset with Cynder and maybe Ember, what could have been if he was still alive._

_Eventually Spyro woke up with spirit Crash still watching. He thanked Colosi for the advice and took the portal back to Artisans. Crash didn't follow him at first. At this point, he contemplated leaving Spyro alone permanently to keep the lie he told Spyro in his dream somewhat true. But eventually he gave up. He irrationally convinced himself that Spyro wouldn't be suspicious of him anymore and used the portal stealthily to return to Artisans._

It was Cortex. He and Malefor had ravaged Artisans. Worse, there was Time Twisting Machine assembled where the large fountain used to be, along with the seven Power Gems powering the device. Cortex powered the device (with Uka-Uka draped around his neck), and he, Malefor, and Gnasty Gnork disappeared. Spyro in his bit to stop Malefor from destroying the town was also accidentally dragged to the future, leaving Cynder and his entire world behind.

_Uka-Uka has coopted Cortex into working as a servant of [undistinguishable]. He plans to wreak Chaos in the future. He is following a plan that is not entirely his, but instead was created by my brother Uka-Uka._

_Aku-Aku was currently a couple of feet below ground on the Beach of Artisans buried along with a red notebook __Did he drag Spyro to the future as well?__Crash asked with urgency. Distance was not a problem for communication._

_I don__'__t know Crash. But whenever Cortex will arrive in the future, you can wait and find out. Though I have a feeling that a Crash in the future will see Spyro again with some unwelcomed guests._

_What Aku-Aku said finally made sense once Crash thought about it for a moment. __So I will exist a hundred thousand years from this time?_

_I believe so, and I hope you and Spyro can stop whatever it is that Cortex is planning. The entire omniverse may be at stake._

_Omniverse?_

**To be continued in the fourth entry of the _Gamine Omniverse Tetralogy_: _Omniverse, the Final Destination_**

** Crash and Spyro, A Friendship Across Lifetimes [Finished]  
Sonic and Mega Man, A Journey of Uncanny Heroes [Ongoing]  
Nintendoverse, Heroes Unite [Upcoming]  
Omniverse, The Final Destination [Upcoming]**

Chapters 1, 3, 21, 42, and 48 are illustrated if viewed on DeviantArt (I'd love to put the links here, but I can't).


	52. Loved And Lost, Part 1

**Chapter 0: The Ones They've Loved, The Ones They've Lost**

**Part 1: Tawna**

In her meager life at N Sane's Carnival, Nina Cortex's favorite moments were when she got to interact with the animals. A particular pair of bandicoots she liked the most. They were both very old for their kind; apparently they had been around even when her uncle was here. She called them Willy and Wendy. Wendy had a small and almost unnoticeable streak of blond atop her head, and Willy a streak of brown. Willy was Nina's favorite of the two because of his playful and interactive nature. He wasn't afraid of her, and would spin on his two hind legs whenever she fed him. It always made her smile. A blip of happiness in her meager life.

"Hey Willy! Feeding time. Here you go. Hmm… where's Wendy?" Willy, upon eating the few pellets Nina gave to him, picked up a few with his mouth but did not eat them. Wendy appeared from her enclosure laboriously and Willy ran to her and dropped the pellet he had is his mouth in front of her.

"Oh Wendy, I'm surprised you made it this long. I'll be really sad when you go. I know it'll break Willy's heart". Willy watched as his partner slowly ate her food. "For almost ten years you two have been together. And even as simple animals you two love each other." Soulmates…

* * *

HE woke up on a beach after drifting ashore. He shook some of the sand clinging to his wet fur, and then looked up to embrace the dawning sun rising above the ocean. For the first time in his life he was free… but for the first time in his short new life he didn't know what to do. To his left lay the reason why he abandoned his former purpose, the female he had never said a word to. Several questions burned within his mind: who was he, what was his purpose, and most importantly: what was he supposed to do now?

"Ugh… what," Subject C2 said as she overcame her grogginess. Last night she had been stunned by Dr. Cortex's firearm and was knocked unconscious. Her voice instantly grabbed C1's full attention, so he nervously approached and knelt beside her.

"C1," she then yelled angrily, "where are we!" C2 got up by herself and C1 retreated from her without responding. "Well? Are you going to answer me or not traitor?" C1 looked upward towards her face for only a moment to see her frustration mounting because his wasn't responding, and then shamefully looked at the sand underneath him for he couldn't bear to look at her any longer. "You abducted me last night, why? You disobeyed Cortex and rightfully incurred his wrath. You are his general, intended to lead his Commandos to victory. But you betrayed him, our master and creator! You are nothing but a deserter, and now I will suffer because of it."

C1 felt horrible for her words hurt deeply. All throughout the night C1 thought about his insubordination and felt so guilty about it. He had overheard his master giving the order to euthanize C2, and something just snapped inside of him. Something just would allow himself to stand by as C2 was ordered to be killed like the dozens of the other failed creations of Cortex's. Even though they had never spoken to each other, never been in the same room together, even though C1 knew almost nothing about her, with every ounce of his being C1 willfully betrayed his master in order to save C2's life. He couldn't understand it, but C2 was somehow just more important than his loyalty to Cortex; her life wasn't to be thrown away. Her safety and wellbeing meant everything for C1 now, inexplicably yet exponentially more so than his duty to serve Cortex. He couldn't explain, couldn't understand this feeling inside of him, it was just true.

"I read your file C1. I know what that collar on your neck is for. I know most of what there is to know about you, your strength, endurance, mental acuity; I know you've never disobeyed an order from Cortex ever until last night. So answer me right now. Why did you betray everything you stood for?"

C1 couldn't look at her, couldn't face her anger and hate of him. It was killing him inside; he felt so ashamed and horrible for what he'd done but knew he would do it again if given the opportunity. He just couldn't let their creator harm her, not matter what.

"Because I… be- because I… love you." Love… C1 had kept searching in his vocabulary for a word that would justify what he had done; his understanding of English given to him by his master. But when C1 found the word love, he then understood why he did what he did last night. Somehow, in the brief moments he had seen C2, he had come to love her.

"You what!?"

"I… won't let him hurt you."

C2 looked at C1, shocked at his explanation and unsure what to think of it. Cortex was operating on me last night. His diagnostics of my vitals had warned him of a potential health issue and operated on me to fix it. And after the surgery I awoke to C1 grabbing my arm, fleeing from Cortex for some reason. Cortex stunned me with his pistol last night probably because he thought I was trying to escape with C1!

"Our master was trying to save my life last night. Maybe you've forgotten this, but we owe our existence to the brilliance of that man. If anything it's him you should love. Take your misguided feelings and stay away from me. I can't even stand to look at you. Not anymore. I thought you were Cortex's best creation. I… I even looked up to you. How wrong was I? I'm returning to our master, and for whatever little respect I have left for you will not tell Cortex of your location. I just pray he'll forgive me, and take mercy on you."

And with that, C2 turned around and entered the woods, leaving C1 alone on the beach. He watched her leave frozen in place. His breathing became somewhat irregular and his eyes started watering slightly. C1 had only been alive for a couple of months, his sentience manufactured by the Cortex Vortex, and as such C1 had never felt anything like this… love and turmoil before. Tears continued to seep from his eyes no matter how many times he blinked. The sensation was dreadful, and he collapsed to his knees and continued to lament. "I'm sorry" he just barely whispered to himself as he continued tearing up. He had betrayed Cortex and brought C2 down with him. He was unworthy, and this awful feeling he was experience was only what he deserved.

* * *

C2 made her way through the woods, trying to figure out her orientation and determine if she was heading in the right direction. She knew there were only three islands which made up the archipelago of N Sanity Islands, and she obviously wasn't on the third island, or else she would have recognized the landscape and easily could have found Cortex's castle. So the question was which of the other two islands she was on. She began to smell burning wood, which most likely meant she was downwind from the Budakan village. They were a primitive people, and Cortex had been in communication with the Budakans because of their knowledge of the Power Gems. She would need transport to the third island, and these simple folks would provide her with it, given their alliance with Cortex. C2 approached the large wooden wall which encompassed the Native Fortress of the Budakans and was confronted by a young man who was missing his right arm.

˂Halt! You a creation of Cortex's, creature?˃ The young man was speaking Budakan, which C2 did not understand. But she did hear her master's name mentioned among the incomprehensible words.

"Yes." C2 said as she nodded her head up and down, hopefully answering what she thought was the young man's question.

˂Follow me, I'll take you to Chief Papu-Papu˃ the young man gestured with his hand for C2 to follow him, and she did so. They passed through the small entrance barely noticeable on the large wooden gate surrounding the Native Fortress. For a simple people, their architecture was quite impressive. Though they were nothing to Cortex and his brilliance, C2 could at least understand why her master cooperated with these tribesmen. After all, she was nothing before Cortex made her what she is today.

"My name Kawabata" ˂blond creature˃ the young man tried his best to say in English as he and she walked towards the chief's hut side by side.

"I am Subject C2." C2 replied out of courtesy. She wasn't interested in a trivial conversation with a local; she needed to get to Cortex as soon as possible to explain herself as not to incur his anger. But what did this teenager call me, Tawna?

"C…2" the young man pronounced slowly as both he and C2 walked through Budakan together. C2 noticed most of the tribespeople staring at her as she passed by. They were somewhat familiar with the mutated creatures which had previously visited their home but were still getting used to the idea of walking, talking rats, mice, and kangaroos. Cortex has been on the third island for almost a year now; you'd think the locals would get used to this by now. Why do they have to stare? Ah let them gawk, their nothing in the grand scheme of things. "Name's… odd..." ˂Although, it is similar to the names of most of the creatures Cortex has spawned. We are almost there.˃ "Wait here" ˂blond.˃

Kawabata held out his hand and C2 stopped walking. Budakan was defiantly an annoying, difficult, and heavily accented language, but C2 could still recognize the word the young Budakan kept referring to her by. It was starting to agitate her, since she wasn't sure if he was insulting her or not. Kawabata entered the hut in front of him, and C2 could hear English and Budakan being spoken from within the wood and straw thatched hut. She cautiously approached a small window to better hear what was being conversed from inside. She recognized the voice of Cortex's agent communicating with who she presumed was Papu-Papu: It was Subject R1. Two the chief's right was a young girl who was translating the conversation between R1 and Papu-Papu.

"My boss… understands your tribe's concern over his use of the Power Gems. You feel they are your property and only yours to use. However, Dr. Cortex proposes a… mutual alliance of sorts to benefit both his interests and your tribe. You provide insight on the inner workings of the, ehem, magic surrounding the Power Gems, and in return my boss will supply medicine, clean drinking water, in general improve the living conditions of the Budakan people. I understand one of your warriors tragically lost his arm recently. Well if you are impressed with how I, a rat can walk and talk, I'm sure you'll be astounded with the, umm… healing powers of my master."

It sounded like Pinstripe was trying to coddle Papu-Papu into working with Cortex. R1 had earned that nickname ever since he had taken a particular interest in the persona of a Chicago mobster and donned his pinstripe suit. It was ridiculous in C2's opinion, but R1 took the role seriously and Cortex allowed it to happen, so she never questioned him.

It seemed demining that Cortex needed the aid of the tribesman to unlock the full potential of the Power Gems located on these islands. But evidently my master was humble enough to accept the Budakan's knowledge the Power Gems if he didn't know the properties of the Gems himself. The young girl beside Papu-Papu translated what R1 had said to him, and Papu-Papu responded.

˂Kawabata's injuries were attended to by his father, our tribe's witch doctor. My tribe, me included, is worried about the intentions of your master…˃ "Cortex." ˂He arrives from out of nowhere and builds a fortress on the third island. And now he intends to coerce us into aiding him in his goals using our tribes sacred Power Gem yet does not inform us of his intentions. The might of the Power Gems is not to be underestimated, nor is your supposed benevolent master. As evident by the creature standing before me, Cortex is quite adapt in whatever magic is required in transforming mere animals to people, as well as a multitude of other magics used to build flying chariots and self-moving contraptions. I worry the safety of my people if your master also harnesses the power of the Gems.˃

"A… very wise assessment, Chief Papu-Papu. However you and your people have nothing to fear of my creator. Yes, the magic uses to create me and Cortex's other loyal subjects is yet only one aspect of his brilliance, yet with a full understanding of the Power Gems, my boss will be able to accomplish the impossible. He is quite an ambitious man, but he needs your help to accomplish his goals. And he plans to substantially compensate you and your village for its compliance. You say you're tribe's witch doctor: Aku-Aku if I remember correctly healed Kawabata. What if I told you Dr. Cortex could give him a new arm? And this is just the beginning of my master's generosity. Cortex would like to invite you formally to his fortress on the third island so that he may show you some of the ways he plans to strengthen Budakan for its cooperation."

˂I saw it's worth investigating, my Chief˃ Kawabata said as he knelt to show his respect.

˂You have impeccable timing young warrior Kawabata. I guess the only way to truly find out the intentions of our new neighbor is to greet him man to man. I assume you will bring me, my daughter Coco, Kawabata, Aku-Aku, and a few of my tribe's warriors, to the northern island via one of your master's flying chariots?˃

Coco translated the last sentence her father spoke, and R1 then replied. "Why of course. Feel free to bring as many escorts as you feel you need, but I assure you that you will be safe while within the protection of Dr. Cortex."

˂I assume you will also bring the blond creature C2 with us as well. I brought her here for I assumed she was another liaison of Cortex's˃

Coco translated what Kawabata had said, and it confused R1 for a moment. "Blond creature, what are you… C2. The defector! You let me deal with her." R1 walked past Kawabata and headed outside with everyone inside following him out, though Papu-Papu instructed his daughter to wait insider for he sensed something wrong with R1's demeanor. C2, who was positioned outside by the window backed away and stopped when R1 emerged from Papu-Papu's hut.

"Well look who it is? Subject C2, the fallen general's breeding partner."

"And if it isn't Pinstripe the kingpin. I see you're really adopting the mobster persona. Although I'm not sure the red matches your complection."

"Real funny" to which Pinstripe revealed the Tommy 20 strapped to his back. "Cortex wasn't very specific on why you and C1 defected, though he was pretty clear on what to do if either of you showed you faces."

"I am not a defector. C1 is delusional and dragged me with him when he fled Cortex."

"So the general really has gone Ripper Roo on us? I'm not surprised. I sure as hell wasn't going to take orders from him. As for you, Blondie, Cortex doesn't tolerate failure, nor does he have any use for you. Without C1, you're useless."

"I am just as capable as C1 and ever more loyal than he is! And I am not a reject like Subject K1! I demand to see Cortex right now and explain myself."

"Sorry toots, boss's orders. A real shame, too. You and I could have had real potential. Ah well, maybe in an alternate reality."

"R1 wait! Cortex was trying to save my life last night, and I'm sure he wouldn't order my execution less than 12 hours later."

"Yeah, well I guess you'll be disappointed to know that you are in fact a reject experiment. Whatever it is that is killing you Cortex couldn't fix, so he ordered you euthanized last night. That, I assume is why you fled with C1 yesterday. So let me put you out of your misery."

What Pinstripe said began to sink in. A reject, with death impending because my mutation was flawed. C2 couldn't respond. Her loyalty, her purpose, gone because she was to die. Cortex, he in his brilliance in creating me, was not perfect and couldn't fix the flaw in my design. It made C2 wonder, was her life worth it? Was just having Pinstripe end it the right thing? And then she thought of C1; he said he rescued me from Cortex because he wouldn't let him harm me. That he loved me.

"R1, you cannot just execute C2 here within our tribe. It is not your right to take her life." Aku-Aku said as he approached from behind C2. Several Budakans had also approached curious as to what was transpiring outside of their chief's hut.

"Stay out of this witch doctor. We deal with our own."

˂Father?˃ Kawabata asked confused as he watched Pinstripe point the strange object he had in his hands at C2. He heard his father say the word "kill," which if it meant what he thought it meant, knew C2 was in trouble.

Just then, C1 dropped down from the top of Papu-Papu's hut and slammed onto Pinstripe, bringing him down hard to the ground to the shock of everyone. C1 kicked Pinstripe's gun away from him and dogged Pinstripes outstretched arms. Reeling and angered, Pinstriped reached for his sidearm tucked near his waist as C1 grabbed C2's arm and they both began to run away. Pinstriped aimed and fired once at C1 before Aku-Aku grabbed his arm and disrupted his aim. The loud noise of Pinstripe's gun startled everyone in the crowed and they began to panic and disperse.

"Get off me!"

"You're weapon may injure others in the crowd with you weapon, and I will not allow you to harm anyone within our tribe."

Pinstripe for a moment was about to lose his cool, when he realized he may have just jeopardized his mission of gaining the locals trust for Cortex. He calmed down and tried to explain himself. "Very well, but you must understand how dangerous C1 and C2 are." Pinstripe turned around and addressed Papu-Papu. ˂Forgive me Chief Papu-Papu,˃ "It was never my intention to harm any of your people, but instead to protect them from danger." Coco had emerged from Papu-Papu's hut because of all the commotion, but Aku-Aku father translated what Pinstripe was saying for her to her father.

˂The blond creature and the other, similar one did not seem dangerous, and I presume the male only attacked you because you were about to kill C2˃

"You have to understand… umm… C1 and C2, like me, are creations of Cortex's. You could say we are… his warriors. Yes! And they those two turned against Cortex and pose a threat against Budakan since they are hiding on your island. I probably shouldn't have tried to end C2 here so publicly, though I warn you that she and C1 are dangerous."

Aku-Aku translated for Pinstripe, though he had his doubts on what R1 was saying.

˂You earlier mentioned how gracious your master was, though this is how he deals with insubordination.˃

Aku-Aku again translated for Papu-Papu, emphasizing the obvious contradiction in Pinstripe's earlier description of his master.

"Well… C1 and C2 pose a grave danger to your safety. Dealing with them is the only way to ensure you or any other Budakan are not harmed by them."

˂Now that they have fled, and C1 appears to be wounded, I doubt they pose much threat to all of Budakan. I will honor your arrangement to meet Cortex. However I will come to him with certain… demands. One such demand is to not have warriors armed with such destructive weaponry enter my tribe again. All you mutated creatures seem dangerous on their own, as demonstrated today.˃

"Understood. You may bring your concerns to my boss, and I'm sure you two can come to an agreement."

˂As for C1 and C2, my tribesmen will deal with them since they intrude on our island. Hopefully Cortex can respect our tribes solidarity and wishes if he is as gracious as you say.˃

C1 and C2 continued to flee through the woods before they made it back to the beachfront and stopped to catch their breaths. C1 collapsed to the ground in agony as he presses his hand against his flank and covered the bullet hole which was bleeding steadily. C2 turned to C1 angrily once she caught her breath and began to yell at him.

"C1 this is all you damn fault! If it wasn't for you, Cortex and his henchmen wouldn't be trying to kill me!"

C1 looked at her grimacing in terrible pain as he leaned against a palm tree and didn't say anything either with his mouth or his SAD. Seeing him struggle to survive reminded C2 of her own mortality, and that what she had just said was not true. Before she went under for surgery, she was aware what Cortex was attempting to remedy was very serious. How much longer did she have left: a few months, weeks? How could she serve Cortex if she couldn't live long enough to see his plans come to fruition?

But then another thought then came to C2 as she leaned against another palm tree and looked at C1 breath heavily. Did C1 know of my condition? He said that he wouldn't let Cortex harm me, and that was why he stopped Cortex from euthanizing me. But he must understand that being put under was a blessing considering what my current fate is. C2 was determined to find out.

"C1," she said much more calmly than before, "why did you rescue me last night? Tell me the real reason. You must know why Cortex was operating on me?"

C1 looked at her, wincing in pain and contemplated a response. The truth was rescuing C2 was an impulse, something he did without thinking. When he heard Cortex gives the order to end C2, he couldn't imagine a life without her. It's why he followed her into Budakan after she stormed away furious at him. He just wanted to be with her. To finally know her.

"I don't have a reason. I just did. Because I love you, and I'm not sure what that even means" C1 said with his SAD.

He said he loved me again. C2 looked at C1, this time not angrily but sympathetically. She didn't know why she wasn't mad at him anymore, probably because she lost her purpose today and needed to find a new one for as little time as she had left.

"Here, let me take a look." C2 bent down and inspected C1's injury. "Seems to be merely a flesh wound. You'll live."

C1 looked at C2 and smiled for a few before he grimaced again because he agitated his puncture wound by moving too much.

* * *

The days passed by. C1 recovered from his gunshot wound almost completely, and he and C2 were able to avoid being spotted by the Budakans. C1 never spoke with his SAD or his mouth, which at first disturbed C2. Sometimes he would just look at her while they were resting, innocently with his green eyes, and C2 would always turn away or tell him to stop staring at her. C1 would then look away embarrassed. C2 had forgiven C1 for breaking her out of Cortex's castle, for in the long run it didn't mean much. Her fate was already sealed, she felt her body decaying slowly over in the days she had been free. She would grow fatigued faster when walking; sleep longer, loose her aplite frequently. As the symptoms slowly but surely started to show of her impending death, she also began to open up to C1. He was the only other creature on Earth who was there to care for her… Because he loved her and neither of them knew why.

C1 started a fire and began using a rock to open a coconut. C2 laid a few feet from him as she looked nowhere in particular, lost in thought. Finally, she broke the silence and for the first time, she and C1 conversed.

"You're voice, C1. It's a defect in your creation, right?" C1 immediately stopped what he was doing and looked at C2, her talking to him a complete taboo. For almost a week C2 had only ever spoken to him either to instruct him to do something or to tell him to stop looking at her. C1 understood her anger at him, he deserved it. But C1 was also sure that C2 would eventually leave him and attempt to survive on her own on the island. But she never did, and it was all C1 could ask of her. All C1 wanted was to be near her, but now she was talking to him, and C1 wasn't sure how to feel about it. So he shook his head up and down to answer her question, preferring not to use his SAD. The monotone, lifeless voice was not something he wanted attached to himself.

Defects… C1's was only his voice; mine was going to cost me my life. Lucky little bandicoot. But as she thought about it, C2 didn't stay mad at C1. Cortex was going to end her life almost seven days ago. And even though her days were numbered, she was beginning to enjoy them more and more. All of her previous life, it was taking orders and devotion to her master's cause. But in the days she had her own free will; they were beginning to become the happiest of her life. Absolute devotion was what C2 thought she wanted with life, but in the few days she had newfound purpose, living for herself was all she wanted now. She realized this tonight on the beach with C1: whom she had to thank for this realization.

"So, can you speak without your SAD?"

C1 again nodded his head up and down to answer C2's question.

"Can I hear it? I'd… like to hear it once instead of the sad voice of your SAD."

C1 chuckled momentarily at C2's joke, the laughter sparking a joy within himself he had never felt before. The sensation was a little overwhelming. Being on his own, free of Cortex's influence had begun unearthing several emotions that never before in his short life felt before. It was one of the reasons C1 was beginning to think abandoning his former purpose was not such a bad thing after all. C2 was the other. What should he say? He decided on something generic.

"H- ell o… C- 2." It scratched his throat and caused him to cough. C1's cheeks blushed in embarrassment as he looked at C2 trying to gauge her response.

"Wow. That was pretty bad. You'll have to practice speaking more. And… don't call me C2 anymore." The name was a remainder of her former life. It was no longer what defined her. "You know… I've never thanked you for freeing me…" She couldn't call him C1. His label by Cortex was not what his name should be. C2 thought about when C1 dragged her through Cortex's laboratory, and how he crashed through a nine story window and swam with her unconscious to this island, and how he crashed on top of Pinstripe to save her life again. "… Crash."

Crash looked at C2, wondering why she just called him Crash. "She just gave him a new name," he thought.

"Someday, I want you to come up with a name for me as well, okay Crash. But before you do, I want to tell you something… I love you too, okay. And I know why, I've just been blind to it until tonight." C2 reached her hand out and placed it underneath Crash's chin. The contact was electrifying, yet Crash was unsure of what to do next. "I'm sorry for yelling at you and being mad at you for so long. The truth is you rescuing me was the best thing anyone could have ever done for me. You're my hero; I want you to know that. Thank you."

They looked at each other, not breaking eye contact for the first time. Then C2 closed her eyes, leaned forward, and kissed Crash. It was gentle at first, Crash not expecting the gesture. He was blushing, he was nervous, and he was unsure of what to do yet again. Crash felt his body react to the contact; this was what he yearned for all along. He loved her, so he kissed back, their tongues contacting. They both breathed inward, their hearts now racing. Alone on the beach, the lust for each other which they never knew they had for each other until now turned into an intimate moment which cemented their love for one another for the very short amount of time they had left together.

Her hair began to thin and slowly fall out, her bones began to brittle, she lost the strength to walk, she lost almost all her muscle mass and thinned incredibly, and soon C2 was beginning to lose the will to live. She was confined to a makeshift bed which Crash had built for her as death slowly claimed her life.

Her death was tearing Crash apart. It left him in agony for there was nothing he could do for her. He brought her food and water and prayed for a miracle. But death would soon take the most important thing away from him. C2 contemplated just telling Crash that this was unavoidable, that she knew that this would happen to her. But something stopped her. Crash had saved her life because he thought Cortex was going to take my life. The truth was she would die inevitably, but in Crash's false sense of selfless duty to someone he barely knew, he had inadvertently gave me the greatest gift I could have ever asked for. Freedom and love. She loved him with all her heart, and she didn't have the heart to tell him that his heroic sacrifice was for nothing. Because that wasn't true, and she didn't want Crash thinking that it wasn't. Her death would pain him, but maybe in his lifetime he could move on. Freedom was what this lie gave him as well, it should remain that way. So she begrudgingly held the truth from him, and instead in her final moments told him a different truth.

"Crash" C2 said as she lay in her bed. She could barely get the words out of her mouth. But found the strength to deliver this final message to her love. "These few weeks have been perfect, Crash. Thank you for freeing me… for showing me what love is. For loving me..."

Crash held C2's hand as the sky slowly darkened. It was going to rain soon.

"I love you, Crash." C2's eyes closed and her head tilted to the side.

"I love you, too." Crash whispered to her after she passed.

* * *

"Crash, how long did you live on this beach before I spotted you that rainy night?"

Crash wasn't sure where this conversation was heading, it made him nervous.

"Four weeks." Crash responded to Coco's question using his SAD.

"When we first meet, I asked you if you there was someone who you needed to return to when you wanted to bolt from my home. Why did you lie to me?"

Crash tensed up. Coco walked over a good distance and stood next to a rock formation that outlined a rectangle pattern on the ground. Crash joined her side a moment later and knelt on the ground.

"Who was she?"

Crash did not respond to the question. When Coco knelt next to Crash and put her hand on his shoulder, she could see that tears were beginning to stream from his eyes. She hugged Crash as he broke down.

Coco now remembered that day when Crash and the other mutant fled from Budakan. He was shot by that rat creature in the pinstripe suit as they were fleeing. He and the blond creature. Apparently they were soulmates.

"She was blond, right Crash?"

Crash looked up at Coco and a thought came to his mind. He never did come up with a name for C2. She had asked him to do so, gave him that responsibility and he never fulfilled it. His blond love.

"My" ˂Tawna.˃


	53. Loved And Lost, Part 2

**Chapter 0: The Ones They've Loved, The Ones They've Lost**

**Part Two: Spyro's Parents**

Malefor along with the rest of his birth class followed their instructor for the day towards the nursery. All of the newest generation of Dragons had been born recently, so the previous generation - Malefor included – was going to visit them today. It was a tradition where every four years all the Dragons four years of age would go and see the newborn Dragons. He wondered if there was going to be another purple Dragon such as himself at the nursery. None of the others of his generation were purple, and neither were any of his elders. It made him standout, which was uncomfortable. Why was he different?

"Oh isn't this exiting class? I remember when I had the opportunity to play with the newborns when I was four. Man that was twenty years ago! Who knows, twenty-four to twenty-eight more years from now I might be taking your own children on a field trip to the nursery, if I have this job for that long? Aren't I just rambling on?"

"Ms. Shoutfire," Aeron asked, "will- will each baby's mommies and daddies be there with us?"

"Good question Aeron. They're will be some older Dragons around my age tending to the infants, making sure they are fed and are healthy. But the rest of the mommies and daddies are working in various other jobs throughout Artisans, working just as hard to ensure the prosperity of our little community."

Other mommies and daddies, the phrasing of Aeron's question and how Ms. Shoutfire answered didn't feel right to Malefor. Normally he held his questions in reserve, preferring not to draw extra attention to himself then was already their due to his rare color, but today he just blurted out his question, for it was bothering him for some time.

"The other 'mommies and daddies,' their children are at the nursery. And all of our mommies and daddies are also here in Artisans. H- how are they all, each of our 'mommies and daddies'? Why do we, why can I never _know_ them?"

Ms. Shoutfire became very worried at Malefor's questions. They were too insightful for a Dragon of his age, which hinted that Malefor knew or at least was curious about how children came to be. Which was natural; but at the same time this little purple Dragon was beginning to understand and question a core principle of his culture. That it is Dragon customs children aren't raised by their birth parents. The communitilization of the nuclear family was embedded in our culture long ago to separate ourselves from how our ancient ancestors acted. It represented an end to the era where Dragons were ferocious, solitary, predators. When Dragon eggs were abandoned by their mothers and left to fend for themselves till they survived to adulthood. This decision by our ancestors is to strengthen the importance of the community, where one's dedication is to every Dragon around themselves as equally as themselves. Or at least that was what Ms. Shoutfire was taught. The innocence, helplessness of infants, tending to them and watching them grow and learn is one of the most rewarding experiences there is, which is why I chose to be a teacher of younglings. But to sacrifice that experience of raising your own children for the greater good, it seemed like too much to give up, that it wasn't necessary. But I was obligated to tell Malefor the reasoning behind this custom, even if I had my doubts about it as well.

"Well Malefor… your mother and father, each and every one of your parents are indeed here in Artisans, and they could be any elder to you. However, all elders love and care for you equally. And someday each of you will have children of your own and do the same for the younger generations. I think when you enter the nursery and have a chance to see the newborns for the first time, see just how small and fragile they are, but also the great potential they have, you'll understand that you couldn't just love one of them more than the rest. That having the responsibility to provide for each of them, help them grow strong and healthy so that they may become valued parts of our community as you will be, is one of the greatest responsibilities there is. Protecting them, nurturing them, teaching them and helping them, it's what we live for."

Ms. Shoutfire thought she did a well enough job explaining both her opinion and the logic behind their ancestor's customs. Although in explaining it, one line she said bothered her: "you couldn't love one of them more than the rest." Of all of what she said, that might be a lie. Her daughter, Taika, was part of the newest generation this year. Which was why she was so excited to bring her class to tour the nursery today. It was a special opportunity most parents didn't have. She of course wasn't allowed to raise her daughter on her own or spend any extra time with her newborn today. She was to oversee this field trip. But every glimpse she would have of her, every time one of the children she was bringing here played and interacted with her, every little smile and laughter her daughter might have would be a terrible pleasure to watch from the sidelines.

What Ms. Shoutfire said also satisfied Malefor's curiosity yet bothered him as well. She said that "[his] mother and father" where somewhere in Artisans. Singular. She only said it once but Malefor got the impression that his teacher just voluntarily told him something contradictory to what he was told by other teachers. Malefor was sure none of the other children understood or were paying attention to Ms. Shoutfire's response, but the way she said it genuinely made Malefor believe that only two Dragons were his parents. Two Dragons were responsible for, well him, if that's what having children meant. They were somewhere among the tens of hundreds of Dragons in Artisans, and he might never know who they were. Yet isn't parentage special, like his instructor kept mentioning? Wasn't the love parents had for their children the most important thing? So why did they hide, from their own children? Why would I do that, and want to?

They arrived at the nursery, and after a brief lecture about being careful with the newborns and what not to do around them, he and the rest of the class were shown dozens of about four month old Dragons who were just beginning to become mobile and active. Each classmate of his began scurrying off, finding a Dragon to play with or a group to mess around with. Everyone was genuinely having a great time, and so was Malefor, forgetting his previous thoughts about parentage and how that would affect his future. But then he came across a newborn that was alone at the moment. He walked over towards him and stared at the young Dragon inquisitively. The little red Dragon noticed the shadow loom over him and returned the stare at Malefor. What Ms. Shoutfire said earlier rang inside Malefor's mind once more. That it was his responsibility, his duty to protect and help his kind. Malefor could understand it now, looking at this adorable and helpless creature whom four years ago Malefor was exactly like.

"Ms. Shoutfire, are we allowed know their names?" Malefor asked.

"Oh, why sure Malefor" she responded once she turned around from a group of children she was monitoring. "Hey Sirien, can you tell me this Dragon's name right here?"

"Umm sure Shout, his name's Ignitus."

"Hey Ignitus" Malefor said softly to get the infant's attention. Ignitus turned to face who had said his name, since he was beginning to learn what that sound meant. This is what Malfor was burdened with protecting. He would do anything to be able to do so.

* * *

"Aren't you even curious Ignitus? Who our parents are? I mean I've always been curious, ever since I learned what it meant to be a parent. And now my Elders expect me to be a father, yet never actually raise my own son or daughter. It's… It's infuriating."

"Dragon culture forbids parents from raising their own children for we believe children are best raised by the community. That we, including you and me, serve all Dragonkind, not just our future wife's and children."

"You sound just like Thomas, brother. I mean you and I wouldn't even know we were brothers if the Power Gem I have hadn't shown me."

"You should have never found that power gem in the first place. I can't believe you dragged me down to the catacombs and stole that thing. We could have been exiled just for trespassing in those sacred grounds."

"Grow a spine Ignitus. Or better yet, grow a pair since you're actually considering having a child this season."

"Are you sure you have a pair Malefor? You skipped your opportunity to have a child four years ago, and you're refusing to breed again this season."

"Are you listening to yourself? 'Breed!' Like you, I, and the rest of our generation are just a bunch livestock who mate when our owners permit it. Tell me you don't even remotely feel disgusted by some of the traditions our elders force on us!"

"It's not our place to question them."

"Not our place? Are you serious!? We're their future! Yet a few Elders dictate almost all aspects of our lives: what we learn, who we mate with, how we can interact with our own damn children! And I… I'm even worse off than you are! Do you know what it's like to be the only purple Dragon in the entire Dragon Realms? The legacy I have, the prophesy overhanging my head. Every day, it's training with one of the four Elements with a different _all-knowing_ Elder. Constantly being observed and preparing for something they don't even feel obligated to tell me about. But I know; it's the Sorceress. There little secret the Elders thought everyone forgot about in the past thousand years. The reason us Dragons are cooped up here in these six Realms. Well I don't need them or their guidance Ignitus. I don't need their _knowledge and wisdom!_ I'll just use the convexity against that bitch like she used it against our ancestors. I'll make her feel all the pain and suffering she's caused the world over the past millennia using her own power against her."

"There's a reason the Elders hid that Power Gem deep underground. I've told you about this but you just won't listen. That gem will corrupt you; consume the good in you till you can't even distinguish right from wrong. You'd hurt me or your own son to remain in sole control of that power." That vision Ignitus had when Malefor first showed him the Power Gem he had stolen from the catacombs replayed in Ignitus' mind. The young Dragon who stared back at him.

"I don't have a son nor will I ever. I don't plan on having sex with some random Dragoness arranged for me to… _inseminate_!"

"Having children is one of our biggest responsibilities and one of our greatest joys. We may not get to raise them personally, but we will see them grow up and hopefully watch them become better than us. This is our heritage brother, stop being so angry at the Elders, stop your determination to become powerful enough to kill the Sorceress, and just be yourself, Malefor."

What Ms. Shoutfire said to him twenty years ago replayed in his mind, about the joy of parentage. "You know you're my younger brother, right Ignitus? You haven't forgotten that yet?"

"Yeah, but sometimes I feel as if it's my responsibility to keep you from doing something rash. Change your mind about having a child. Please. I know you feel destined to do great things, to represent change for Dragonkind, but I promise you nothing is more important than providing for the posterity; being a part of future generations through your children. They might not know who gave them life, but they'll understand the community they're a part of."

"Did you just come up with that, or did you practice reciting all these lines to me before you came here today?"

"I'm serious Malefor."

"Well so am I. Something is genuinely wrong with the _community_ we're a part of, and I _won't_ be a part of it."

"Well, you're date is actually going to show up any minute. So you're going to have to tell her yourself that you're not interested."

"What the, I told those senile old bastards I wasn't going to participate in their quadrennial… _fucking_ festival!"

"I believe it's pronounced 'quadrennial _fertility_ festival.' And don't worry, my partner's coming, too. I thought we could double date."

"Date!? It's an arranged marriage Ignitus, not a date! She was chosen for you by a committee of perverted Elders without your input. How can you just love someone who is selected for you?"

"Easy. I talk to her and find out if she's the one. Remember she's in the same situation I'm in. I was chosen for her. And I don't have to love with her if I don't want to, and vice versa."

"Just as I though, spineless and balls-less!"

"In a year you could be proven wrong."

"In a year, the Elders will no longer be in control of me."

* * *

"Aren't you worried about him, Ignitus? He's your brother and I think he needs you."

"Malefor's beyond reasoning Taika. He won't listen to me; all he cares about is power. He believes he is the one to end the Sorceress' reign and free the world from her grip, and to do this he must master the same dark energy she controls."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"I'm afraid of what he'll lose when he gains that power. I've seen it Taika, and I'm worried for him but he just won't listen to me. I fear Malefor will obtain the power he seeks, and even though it's for a righteous purpose, he'll lose himself and Aeron in the process."

"Aeron loves your brother Malefor as much as you do. She's caring his child. He will listen to you two, I promise. You just can't give up."

"I'm starting to think you care for Malefor as much as Aeron and I do. What's up?"

"We're family, and Dragons look out for one another."

"I think Malefor is right about one thing, though. I really wish you and I could raise our child together."

"We will Ignitus, but we'll also love and raise each of our generation of Dragon's children equally as well. Each newborn is as equal and important as ours will be, including Malefor and Aeron's child."

"I know Taika, it's just that, now that I know I'll be a father, I just wish I could have our child look at me one day and know just how much I care about him. That he is the most important thing in my life and that I would do ANYTHING for him."

"I feel the same way. And I know you'll be a terrific father to our child." Ignitus and Taika then came close to each other and kissed. Ignitus then felt his partner's soft underbelly, feeling for the slight protrusion that was his unborn child's egg.

"Have you decided on what we're going to name him?" Taika whispered in Ignitus' ear.

"Name him? How do you know it's a he? You haven't even laid… it yet."

"It's not an IT, okay. And you know there isn't a gender unspecific pronoun for a Dragon. So I just called him a 'him' because, well I want to know what you want to name our Dragon, male, female, whatever."

"Well… how about Spyro?"

"Umm… I think Aeron wanted to name her child Spyro."

"Oh what, I thought we discussed this with her already?" Ignitus said laughing.

"I know you were a little tipsy Iggy, but I think you agreed with Aeron that whoever's child was born first got the name Spyro, and the latecomer was stuck with the more generic name Flame."

"I said that?"

"Yes, yes you did. You also said whoever's child is named Spyro would someday tease his cousin Flame and say his name's 'generic'."

"Oh yeah." Ignitus then remembered something else from last night. "Malefor wasn't there last night, was he?"

Taika sighed before she responded. "No, no he wasn't."

* * *

"So this is where you go when you hide from your wife." Aeron said after she landed next to next to her husband. He recently flew to this large rock a couple dozen yards offshore to be by himself for a while. The setting sun and the crashing waves were not distracting Malefor for he was deep and thought.

"I'm not hiding Aeron."

"You were never one to understand sarcasm Mal. You missed my little get together with Ignitus and his wife. I'm still pissed at you for that." Malefor allotted his wife a quick glance before looking back at the horizon again. "Come on Malefor, don't be yourself and shut me out, please. You have that look on your face, like something is seriously bothering you, yet you won't let me or your brother help you." Malefor breathed in slowly and closed his eyes before he stared at the rock beneath him. "You know, convincing you to have a child is probably one of the best decisions I've ever made. You're special Mal, know that I know this. And it's not just your color and your ability to wield multiple elements of Dragon magic. No, you're a visionary, a fighter, a protector. But you feel like that job is solely your own, to take the punishment and consequences that burden comes with, so you isolate yourself to shield others from these pains. But you don't have to. I won't let you."

"Let's run away Aeron. Let's raise our child on our own and explore the rest of the world outside Artisans."

"What?"

"[Sighs]… Ignitus keeps saying the power I'm chasing will consume me, and that I'll hurt the ones I'm closet to in pursuit of it. And… I'm starting to think he's right. At first all I wanted was to liberate our kind from the tyranny of the immortal Sorceress, stop our need to be refuges crowded away on six remote islands. But now I'm staring down a well of unlimited power, and am afraid I'll fall in. I'm hoping you can make the choice for me, Aeron. I'll follow you anywhere away from her, so that we can abandon our responsibility to this morally corrupt community and start anew somewhere else."

"Malefor, what are you saying. I… I love it here, our family's here, you _brother_ is here. How can you not see how wonderful it is here?"

"Our culture won't allow us to be truly together Aeron. They won't let us raise our child together."

"I know Malefor, but it's not like we'll never see him or her again."

"You don't understand! I don't want to share our child with the rest of Artisans, partition my time with him, keep from him that I'm his father, and that I love him more than ANYTHING in the world. And I'll have to do that if I stay here. I CAN'T due both Aeron. I can't be the protector Dragons need and begrudgingly kneel to my society's expectations. The Sorceress is coming, I can sense it. And if I don't do everything in my power to stop her, every Dragon will die like she always intended. So I either became the being I know I'll hate and stop her, or we leave, and I'll be the father I now know I always wanted to be."

"I… I don't know what to say Malefor" Aeron said a little teary eyed. "How can I just abandoned everything I've ever cared about. Malefor, please stay. Let me help you, I know there is another way."

Malefor breathed out heavily, smoke escaping from his nostrils. "I know you won't change your mind. I can feel your attachment to this place." As Malefor spoke, six glowing Gems rose from out of the ocean, surrounding him and Aeron. Malefor's eyes began to glow with a bright light as a dark aura began to surround his body, frightening his wife. "This is where we say goodbye then. I have a duty to do, I'll save Artisans and the other five Realms, but I won't be a part of it if it keeps me from the ones I truly love. Goodbye Aeron. And… I'm glad you convinced me to have a child as well."

Malefor then took off, the six gems following him. He flew straight through the invisible, magic barrier, which had isolated the Dragon Realms from the rest of the world for millennia, causing blue sparks of energy to wildly fly out from the hole Malefor created, which began to seal behind him slowly. Thomas then landed on the small islet Aeron was left on, calling out his son's name as Ignitus landed behind his father.

"The power's consumed him. May the Fates be kind" Thomas said forlornly.

Aeron, crying at this point, turned to her elder. "He's… he's gone. How could he just leave? I… I loved him."

"He loved you to, Aeron." Ignitus said to his sister in law.

"I saw what was happening to him too late." Thomas interjected. "The power of the Convexity, its temptation is almost irresistible. Malefor in his lust to have that power lost who he was, and for that I am truly sorry. Malefor presumably took the other five Gems from the other five realms by force. There are reports trickling in of murdered Dragons who attempted to stop Malefor from taking the Power Gems. They were no match for him."

Aeron gasped and continued to cry at the news she was hearing about her husband. "He… he couldn't. I know him, he wouldn't harm another Dragon. He was amassing that power to protect Dragonkind."

"That may be true, but he needed the power Aeron. He wasn't going to let anything stand in the way of that."

"But... he- he told me he would follow me anywhere and forget his ambition, if we left and raised our child together, I know he wasn't lying Thomas. I… I!"

"What's wrong Aeron," Ignitus said worriedly as he approached her. She was in pain, he could tell.

"The baby, it's coming. I'm starting… to contract."

"Get her to the nursery Ignitus."

"Dragon's aren't supposed to fly when their contracting."

"She's going to have to."

* * *

Ignitus, Flame, Crash... It was a lot to bear, pain Spyro would carry with him for the rest of his life. But he had a bright spot as well: Cynder. The Dragoness he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Spyro and his grandfather Thomas were both in the Senate Building, the day after Spyro and Cynder spread Crash's ashes at the beachside.

"She means the world to me Thomas. She's the one I want to spend my life with, start a family with. And I won't let anything bad ever happen to her. Not like in the previous reality, the one I read in the Atlas, where Crash never shows up from the future; where I was deceived into killing her. I won't let that happen, I won't let Malefor touch her; I'd kill him before I let him. I don't care if he's my uncle."

"Are you prepared to do that, my grandson? End his life if it came to it?"

Spyro hesitated before he answered his grandfather's question. "I know he's your son, Thomas. But you also know how dangerous he is. He's out there, somewhere. And if he ever decides to hurt anyone I care about, I'll stop him before he can. No matter what it takes."

"Ignitus and I… we believed that there was always still good in him. The day he first saw his brother, the day he married, the day he helped rescue you from the Sorceress in Artisans. I believe Ignitus still thought sow till the moment he died."

"Do you expect me to believe that? Do you still believe that?"

Thomas breathed in uncomfortably and exhaled before he responded to Spyro's question. "The day you came here to the Senate Building after you defeated Gnasty, and Magnus and I told you we would be completely honest with you. I ended up lying to you."

"About what?"

"Ignitus and Malefor's wives, before their children were born, had a bet that whoever's child emerged from their egg first would be named Spyro, and the latter would be named Flame."

Flame. Spyro thought back to when he always joked with him, about their friendly competitions growing up, how he made fun of his name on occasion, the day he told Ember how he felt about her, and how Flame sacrificed his life to protect a wounded Cynder from Red. "Flame… he was my cousin?"

"Yes. And Ignitus was his father… Malefor… he's your father. You deserve to know that Spyro. If you confront him again. That if Malefor's father, brother, and wife couldn't convince him of the wrong he's done, than maybe his son could."

_Taika and Aeron are IP's of SaziSkyLion on DevianArt_


	54. Bonus Chapter 4

**Bonus Chapter 4: Friendships, Burdens, and Heroes Across Lifetimes**

"I find it hard to bear the responsibilities on my shoulders. All this power I have to use yet it's useless… where it truly matters."

"What do you mean by that, Rosalina? Aren't you supposed to be some kind of… goddess?"

"The terms gods and goddesses are misleading. Those labels would lead you to believe that I am omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent in this omniverse. But none of those are true. I mealy sit back and watch reality… unfold. Real power is action, choices, decisions. The experience of life is real power. And there's so much of it. One sentient being themselves is a universe of possibilities, and there can be billions of them on one planet; a planet among quintillions of others in an infinite multiverse, so many of which are life bearing. Each of those sentient beings only experience an infinitesimal fraction of the whole picture in their brief, brief lives; and even though their breath of reality is so limited while I and other gods see the whole picture, I envy every one of them. Because their lives make a difference, even if it's so, so small."

"No offense, Rosalina, but even though the culture I'm supposedly an ancestor to is all but erased from existence, I hear they had predominantly a monotheistic religion. I keep hearing these terms gods and anti-gods thrown around willy nilly recently, and it's starting to sound made up. And now I hear you are demeaning your own… stature. Quite honestly this whole Order of the Uni… Omniverse sounds like a big load of bullshit, excuse my language."

"Non-taken, Samus Aran."

"Just call me Samus."

"Very well. I know... of your upbringing. The life you've had and the struggles you've endured. I've seen it all too often so many times and am powerless to stop it. I've seen it in so many timelines, so many goodhearted people… heroes in their own rights literally or figuratively to those they know, get dragged down by others who have had evil taint their hearts.. I've seen it in other timelines, you, and other like you fail and die trying to stand up to the unprecedented evil which has come to threaten existence. Alone each of you fall, and it all leads to the ultimate undoing when it's all said and done."

Samus took a deep breath before responding, a little peeved. "Rosalina. I've had… one hell of a long week. Several long weeks actually, all culminating in the worst week of my life. Look… I don't normally do what I just tried to do. I'm a bounty hunter: I chase scum down and bring them in for money for a Galactic Federation to lazy, incompetent, and incapable of doing so themselves. I drink, I cuss a too much, I don't trust anyone, and I am a poor excuse for a lady with respects to a world that was destroyed two centuries ago. But last month, I was dragged into some business I had no reason to be a part of. And maybe because somewhere underneath this Varia Suit I have some small fraction of a conscious left I agreed to help some desperate people. Maybe because there small, minute chance that I could redeem myself in the eyes of long dead foster parents or maybe even my real ones. Who knows, I certainly don't. Because it was a stupid, dumb decision. This universe, omniverse, whatever, has already gone to shit as you keep saying. It's too late to stop it. And that 'evil' you're talking about, it's not some mysterious entity, 'it' has a name: Ridly."

"Ridly's but one small part of a larger picture. Hidden from all mortal eyes is a deceptive anti-god pulling the strings so that he may end all prematurely."

"Sounds like that Satan figure I read about in a book I forgot the name to. You know… I have no idea where I am. Last thing I remember I was about to die fighting in a war that already was lost centuries ago. But here I am stranded in some fairytale land and no one wants to seem to tell me what the hell's going on, no matter what kids-book-looking-character I run into. I'd say this was all a dream or I'm actually dead, but 'this' can't be 'heaven' and there's no way I'd wind up there upon my end."

"You think too little of yourself."

"No I think just about myself the right amount, which is all the time. Enough with the cryptic talk. Enough foreshadowing, misdirection, and riddles. Someone in this 'Dreamland' or whatever the hell it's called better start telling me what's going on. You said you've seen me die before and yet you claim I'm alive right now. You say there's some 'grand evil' behind all the death and destruction I witness and try to ignore every day, and likeminded 'heroes' try and fail to deal with the same 'evil' I face here and in other timelines. Well… let me tell you something. I'm no heroine, I don't serve a higher cause, I serve my own. Because there's no justice in this world or any other. Eventually everyone finds out the cruel truth; those who figure it out fast enough tend to survive the longest."

"The virtues instilled within you by the Chozo have not faded in you Samus. What faith they had in you is still true, the horrors of this universe can't rob you of that, you're too strong to let that happen."

"Don't talk like you know me, you don't. I don't know how you know what you know but I assume it's the same reason why I'm standing on a cloud overlooking what appear to be stars and galaxies. It's the illusion of grandeur little kids dream up in their sleep. And you know what; I've seen weirder planets then this. I've also met telepaths who tried to read my mind. It didn't go well for them. So I'm going to ask you this one time. Where's my ship, so I can get out of this lunacy. And if I were you I'd get out of this place as well. I'm sure Ridly and his Metroid's aren't far behind. And if he does come here this planet and everyone here is doomed."

"A telepath, huh? Hmm… well, would it be fair of me to guess that the good deed you spoke of earlier which you regret accepting had something to do with stopping Ridly? Ending his terror, ultimately because not too long ago a young girl lost her family to him?"

"Killing Ridly won't stop anything" Samus said underplaying the soft spot Rosalina hit. "Ultimately that dragon's just a pirate and a mercenary. He may leave a wave of death in his path, but even he has a price. It's that dammed monkey you have to worry about: Andros from the Lylat System. The Galactic Federation may claim to have the same or better military capabilities as his empire and can protect their sovereign borders, but it's a lie to stop panic from ensuing in its territories. I know firsthand Andross can't be beat. His armies consist of the ever-growing murdered soldiers he's conquered over the decades. It's a process called roboticizaiton, and it's horrifying. I met victims first hand, countless species from so many planets, all under complete control in their metal husks. That victim I spoke of was sent to kill me, one of Andros' favorite eternal prisoners. He sent him after me personally because of who that fox is… or was."

"Fox McCloud. He tried to stop Andross once too… a long time ago. He succeeded once, him and his team: Team Star Fox. But it was all for not, for forces outside of his perception coalesced to ensure he would fail, as they've done with you now. Fox had a troubled youth like you, and yet he like you stood up for what was right and fought to his end trying to defend the innocent… even on another planet in a different solar system then the Lylat System. Your race's home system, on planet Earth. You knew this, right. Fox had to have told you after you liberated him. He fought but lost. I think that's why you didn't kill him upon him trying to assassinate you. You did your research. You found out his past, and helped him out of a fate worse than death because you empathize with him."

"He's been roboticized for over 200 years. He remembers all the death he's caused as Andros's assassin. He tried to convince me that victory was possible, that I shouldn't give up. That I alone was standing up to Andros in a way no one had ever done in a long time. That… together, maybe he and I and whoever else we could find could do something. I bet you know how well that turned out since you seem to know everything. The only condolence I guess Fox got was that he finally was able to die."

"He died… still believing there was hope. And yet you continued to live with your faith gone. That's what bothers you; tears at you. That no matter what you do, hope is lost. And everyone around you loses their lives as you survive. This pain is not unique to you. It is a burden a hero like your shoulders. I ask you Samus to endure. To continue to fight for good for no other reason than because you still believe in it… even if it's childish. Because I think… you're the only hope left."

"I wouldn't put your faith in me. It doesn't work out well for those who do."

"I agree. This universe, this timeline, is doomed. Too much has been lost and [undistinguishable] is too close to succeeding."

"Who? Was that even English?"

"A story for another time Samus. In the meantime, your ship is destroyed. You are stranded in Dreamland by my and others intervention, yes that is this place's name. And you still are my hope for victory. Alone you will fail in stopping the evil which is poisoning the omniverse, but together you may still prevail. Fox knew this, and I think in time you will as well. But it's not my place to tell you this. In time you will learn it for yourself. But for now, Dreamland could use your help. The motion may be futile, but if you still have the conviction in you not to stand ideally by while innocents die, then I'd like for you to meet someone."

To say whatever was behind Rosalina was a foot tall would have been a stretch. The blob had been walking in this direction, but Samus didn't notice him until now due to his size.

"Hi!"

"What… is that?"

"His… name is Kirby. Like you he's destined for great things. And like you and Fox he's an orphan. A star warrior to be exact; the newest generation of his kin. Unlike in the more material plane you grew up in and know as 'reality', in Dreamland Kirby was born with the purpose of defending and protect others who inhabit this spiritual plane. It's safe to say things haven't gone so well. Events in the physical world are mirrored and amplified here. Kibry found an adopted family, and lost them like you did. He fights an evil wicked and cruel, and that evil has taken people from him. You two are united in purpose simply because you fight the same evil but with different faces. And although you may find this a little weird, I think you two are the opposites you need. For you Samus a reminder of what innocence can look like when it hasn't been trampled out. And for Kirby, someone else to fight for, and even fight beside. I bid you a farewell Samus, we will speak again soon when the time is right."

"What? Wait. Hey, where are you going?" And like that she literally disappeared leaving Samus and Kirby alone.

"Poyo."

* * *

_The story of Crash and Spyro's friendship was genuine, long, tragic, and abruptly cut short. They became best friends even across lifetimes, like the title suggests… and across timelines as well. Timelines… this is an important operative word, don't forget how important this was to this story and still is. There was the first timeline where Spyro never meets Crash and lived his whole life till its end while Crash was created one hundred thousand years later; events here did not turn out as happily as one would… expect or desire. And then a second new timeline came to exist because Crash was sent back in time; things turned out for the better there though ending bitter sweet._

_Both continuities exist, the good and the bad, neither one was destroyed. For in an infinite omniverse there are many different courses of reality with either small or drastic differences to the one you call home. But as with any fictional media, only one timeline truly represents continuity as it's supposed to be: the alpha universe, the prime universe, or universe one. In this story and its sequels, forces of good and evil fight to control for their desired representation of continuity and thus control over the alpha timeline, these "forces" being both mortals and the "gods" above them. From the big bang to the end of everything, over and over on a cycle what is the alpha timeline and what happens in it constantly shifts for those outside of its effect. But for those who live in it, like our heroes scattered across space and time: Crash, Spyro, Sonic, Megaman, Link, Mario, Fox, Samus, Kirby, their friends, foes, and pedestrians alike, it's simply… reality. And the consequences of failure are real enough for them. Take for example the doomed timeline Rosalina mentioned to Samus. The fates of Spyro and Crash in the original timeline of their tale were quite grim. A new timeline came to be to replace the continuity of the previous, but this start from scratch cannot undo what continues to transpire in the timeline left behind. Tragedy still brews there, and that's where this section of this bonus chapter will take place._

**The N Sanity Islands (original timeline)**

Doctor Ivo along with dozens of agents of GUN were swarming a once isolated and uncharted island. The activities of the now presumed deceased Dr. Cortex drew Ivo specifically to this place considering the large machine that stood in front of a curious and impressed egg shaped man.

"He actually did it. That son of a bitch did it." Ivo said to himself. He knew Cortex had the potential to do something even if he was what Ivo considered as a screw up ever since he met him as a kid, but if the chronal and zeta particles radiating from this machine was any indication of its function, than he was staring at a fully functioning time machine.

"Dr. Ivo" a solider said from behind Ivo to get his attention. Ivo did not work for GUN. He was here unofficially… off the books so to speak due to his immeasurable wealth and pull with the United Federation's government. And even if the head of GUN wanted Ivo nowhere near this island, the secretary of defense for the UFA was hard to argue against. You see Cortex was in a "take over the world" state of mind, probably because of his messed up youth. Meanwhile Eggman, though seeking… totalitarianism; he's means of doing so were more… graceful, conniving, and thought out. Basically Eggman knew he would be the better man for the job. No offense but it was the truth, "Cort-ie."

"What is it soldier, speak up." Ivo said without turning.

"All of the surviving locals and surviving mutations have been rounded up and are contained slash quarantined. You have been cleared to interrogate any of them whenever you wish, though the conversations will be recorded for security and documentation's sake."

"As expected; take me to them." And with that Ivo followed the heavily armored soldier through the remnants of the Native Fortress and into a makeshift white building constructed by GUN. In the detainment center was a young girl in native clothing made from plants like the rest of the people here. But unlike most she could speak English fluently. That should make this process a whole lot easier. Dr. Ivo walked into the small prison cell and the soldier behind him closed the door which then locked automatically. The young girl was sitting down chained to her metal chair, while Ivo sat across from her in another metal chair. He then placed a tablet onto the table between them but did not activate it at first. Instead he took a moment to size up the young Budakan up before he began their conversation.

"My name is Dr. Ivo Robotnik. Unlike all these soldier goons, I actually have a vested interest in what exactly went on in this island for the past two years, not just the past two days. So despite the crude means you've endured to earn your cooperation, I'm going to ask nicely to… recount, your experiences to me, if you may?" The young girl muttered something in Budakan which included the word Doctor to Ivo's annoyance. They said she spoke English. "I'm sorry, but I don't speak… er… Budakan. I was told you speak English."

"I do." She said without passion.

"Ah, care to retell what you said previously in my native tongue?"

"I said I do not trust any foreigner who labels themselves as a 'doctor'."

"Ah, a very wise policy. Though the word doctor is very board you know. It's not just medicine, all facets of knowledge are covered by doctors."

"The only knowledge you doctors deal with is misery and indecency."

"I see. Coco, is it? I'm going to level with you. Your life is never going to be the same from this point forward. There won't be any returning to your village and living on normally after today. Right now you're considered property of GUN, which these guys can get away with because no other countries on Earth know of your existence and Budakan as a result has no sovereignty. So all human rights violations occurring here no one will ever know off or be able to do anything to stop. Most likely you're going to be shiped off this island and interrogated further than I will question you tonight. It's not going to be fun, I promise, and there isn't anything I can do about it except offer to be the only person in the world who will know you story. I may be a doctor and someone you prematurely yet justifiably despise, but if you don't talk to me now, who you are and what you've been through dies with you as you are essentially wiped from history by the people holding you captive. I am not one of this people, however, as indicative by my attire. I am an agent on this island of my own free will with a very important agenda. Coco, I'm not going to lie to you and say I'm a morally 'right-aligned doctor,' No, far from it actually. However I do have the world's interests at heart and do intend to use what I learn from you today towards that goal…"

"… Now, I already anticipated resistance towards my plea for cooperation from you, and as such have proactively had you injected with my latest proprietary blend of 'truth serum' if you will. Consider it as a magic potion, which will lower your inhibitions and leave you more open to suggestion and influence. There isn't really any use to resist it, the serum has been coursing through your circulatory system for ten minutes now and should be working its wonders as we speak. Now I could have instead opted to have you tortured right now to get the information I want out of you, so consider that as you decide for how much longer you wish to let the story of who you are die with you."

True to the doctors word, a soldier from earlier had stuck her with a needle without saying a word, and ever since then Coco had felt woozy and at a loss of focus. She was having a hard time keeping her head still. Whatever this doctor had done to her was working. "I've already lost my father and brother to people like you. All I have left is my dignity, and that you'll have to take from me."

"Oh come now Coco, I don't wish to take your dignity, just information. GUN will take your dignity whether you talk to me now or not. Today's your final chance to at least make a difference with what you've been through."

"GUN won't take me dignity; I think I lost that too. But worst of all, I lost Crash."

Going to his tablet, which contained all confiscated notes Ivo had of Cortex, there were detailed notes on every mutant he made, and the most on the one who seemed to escape and cause him the most grief. Subject C1. "Ah yes… hmm… 'Sonic's ass' as Cortex mockingly calls 'Crash' in his notes. Man can he hold a grudge. I failed to mention this, but I knew the man who made your mutant buddy a long time ago; when we were young adults to be specific. The mutants you and your tribe encountered, all products of the Evolve-O-Ray, were originally one of many ideas Cortex, I, and several other now influential scientists conceived together. I'd say he and N Brio got the procedure to work after all. What Cortex was trying to accomplish with it I still don't know. Maybe you could fill in the gaps."

"Crash wasn't a mutant. He was family."

"So you grew affections for the creature. You sound like my cousin, honestly. Anyway, you knew this Crash creature for two years, correct?"

"Yes, I met him shortly after the love of his life died. Tawna."

"Subject C2 I presume. Her issue was a form of cellular degeneration I believe. Her body just stopped producing functioning white blood cells. A terrible, incurable, fate indeed. I told Cortex forever ago that would be a problem. The mental and cellular homeostasis of rapid mutation is unreliable to get consistently. Guess it's not part of Gods "plan." Oh what am I even talking about? Probably a flashback to Church school. A load of crap that was. Hmm… But I guess 'Cort-ie' just had to get his method to work by trial and error. I'd say he got it considering how many mutants are in custody on the other side of the island. Anyway, let's move on. What about your brother? Niko? You have any idea what happened to him?"

"Cortex killed him and brought him back to life as a monster."

"Well, as a machine, but close enough. Now this was a direct rip-off from me. A security breach awhile ago to my own private servers had Cortex's name written all over it, which I think he wanted me to know about but not be able to do anything about it. I recently reverse engineered a procedure from… well a classified source…. To bind living tissue to synthetically created robotic structures that replace and function as living tissue, organs, and organ systems almost instantly. It's an incredible process, it can heal almost any injury or disease. And the best part is that the robotic android that comes out after 'roboticization' can either be an independent agent or manipulated like any other machine. The practical applications are limitless… when disregarding a few ethical concerns."

"I lost my younger brother to that witch craft. He doesn't even recognize me anymore, and tried to kill me and Crash while serving the man that made him that way. How can that be a good thing?"

"Well, you see your imagination is limited. You don't have any experience with the wider world my young tribeswoman. And lone and behold, there's a vast universe outside of this island. There's a lot that has and can go wrong, technology like the roboticiation protocol is crucial, imperative even, to have for our vulnerable blue little world. As is that that function time machine located in the center of your former home. Now I know what it does and soon will know how it works. But I have one simple question for you, Coco. Who was sent back into the past, and when?"

"My only family left: Crash. He and Cortex disappeared, to where or when I do not know."

Robotnik got up from his chair and promptly left when Coco finished her sentence. He knew all he needed to know. Next was his final prisoner to interrogate. Walking down two cells, he met his final source of information: N-Tropy. After sitting down, Eggman got straight to work, he was impatient.

"Well if it isn't the deranged outcast. What dribble do you have to say today? And I hope you do remember me. You were at one of my seminars once if I remember correctly. Rambling about time travel and Power Crystals slash Gems if I recall."

"It's already over Dr. Robotnik. Us scientists around the world thought we were ready, but ultimately it isn't our fight to win or even be in. Earth and this universe are doomed."

"You wouldn't happen to be talking about an existential crisis of massive proportions involving the literal fight between good and evil on a cosmic scale… would you? The whole Order of the Omniverse, the Orrery of Worlds, extraterrestrials, gods, anti-gods, and alternate timelines… perhaps?" Robotnik tired his hardest to sound condescending.

"SO YOU'VE SEEN IT TOO!"

"Oh I was shown as well my kooky, oriental, time traveler. By the way is that time suit getup keeping you in 'certainty' with regards to your possible probabilities? If I had to guess that's the only reason I could come up with on the spot to explain why you're wearing that, besides the theatrics."

"It keeps me synchronized with my alternate selves. I've seen the alternate reality, the one created by my time twister. That's where the real fight will be fought. This current reality is wrong… useless."

"Well that has to be confusing, having infinite versions of yourself sharing a brain, no wonder you're a little loose in the membrane."

"It means I'm aware of the larger PICTURE!" Question is how are you?! It's too complicated for a mere man to understand!"

"Oh it's all too simple. You just have to forget that you're the center of the universe, and instead know your roll in the larger picture. Earth is at the precipice of great change. We will begin to take our rightful place as the dominate species of the cosmos and become the type three civilization we were meant to be. But to do so our race's stagnation has to come to an end and have one man usurer in an era of rapid evolution. A utopia, if you will. I just need to burn this world down first. No big problem." Robotnik could get away with saying these things because though GUN thought this conversation and the one he had before were being recorded, they were sadly mistaken. A nifty program of his own design was literally feeding different audio to the recording devices, synthetically mimicking the voices of himself and the prisoners Eggman was interrogating by only need voice samples from them.

"No, [undistinguishable] did not choose you, that's impossible."

"He certainly didn't choose you, now did he? But to be clear, he didn't just choose me, and it's not just this timeline he's selecting candidates from. But if you think I'm blindly going to follow a guy who's name is 'taboo' to say, you've got another thing coming. You know he… 'He' wants to end existence? Not that fun. Someone has to stop him… and maybe replace him."

"We're powerless to stop him, you know that."

"Why do you think he's gathering awful people to his cause across the multiverse? For as powerful as Taboo is, mortals have the only power he doesn't, freedom of choice and consequences to our actions. So he needs some mortals to destroy everything for him while he takes the credit and deals with the "gods". Tell me you in your nightmares got that part down."

"I didn't…"

"Of course you didn't. You're a nobody who isn't going to see the light of day ever again. I've got your notes and Cortex's for you two's Time Twister, plus most of the theoretical astrophysics involved in it's function I already know. The only reason we're talking is because I wanted to say hi and goodbye. I didn't get the opportunity to tell Cortex off cause he's stuck in another timeline. Ah well. And since N Brio's dead I guess you're the next best thing. I've got plans blue man, big plans. It's not often I get to gloat with someone who is cable of understanding my true intentions, so for what it's worth I'll relish this conversation for as brief as it was. Goodbye N Tropy. I hardly knew you."

And with that, Robotnik got up and left. N Tropy tried to get up from his chair and was yelling something, but Eggman didn't pay attention. N Trophy's violent outburst drew the attention of GUN soldiers who went into his cell and 'settled him down.' By that time Robotnik was already back outside and beside the Time Twister again. Scattered on seven pedestals were seven gem cut 'emeralds' (his research cited the names of these artifacts as Chaos Emeralds. Cortex thought they were Power Gems. Honestly what's the difference?). The keys to harnessing cosmic energy's beyond comprehension; the power which shaped reality. Artifacts left over from the omniverse' creation and they were all in front of him. Story has it these emeralds were assembled on Earth around one hundred thousand years ago. The stories after that then get a little crazy. Apparently there were Dragons involved, a whole assortment of anthropomorphic animals, aliens, and a grumpy-hedgehog alien hybrid Robotnik met once while it was in stasis. The aliens Ivo has met recently as well. The Black Arms aren't all that nice. The Dragons found that out the hard way.

* * *

**The Sky Realms, 100,000 years ago. Home of the Skylanders**

The Sorceress, Malefor the Dark one, his father Spyro… the common thread between them was the Convexity. This godly power they used against one another. Kindle knew this, but using it was a different story. He in his lifetime never learned how to do so, and that probably cost his wife Jasmine and his sister Cynder their lives when things got really bad. His only daughter Jasper was close, though, real close. Mentoring her, even for as old and tiered as Kindle was, remained the only joy he got out of his rapidly ending life. Battle scared, sick, and elderly, there was only so much Kindle could do to prevent the end of Dragonkind and the world. Hopefully helping his daughter access to the Convexity would be enough. To stop the all death and destruction brought about by the "invaders".

"Dad, I'm trying, I really am. But… What's the point? The invaders, there's too many of them. And that black and red creature, I can't beat him."

"Jasper, you bear the purple mark of your grandfather. The power's in you already. The key to accessing that power is rage, anger at the death and loss of loved ones around you. It's harnessing an uncontrollable surge of murderous intent into a weapon you wield with defining, defying control."

"I know dad, I know. I really am trying. I just don't know if I have it in me. What you're asking of me may be too great."

"Maybe you're right. But we'll never truly know you couldn't as long as you're still alive. So every moment you're still breathing, I want you to remember the pain and guilt you felt upon losing your mother and aunt. I want you to remember the face of the devil that took them from you. I want you angry Jasper! Until you snap!"

The anger swelling in his daughter was always something she had to fabricate. It wasn't bubbling in her despite the atrocities happening around her. She was too gentle and kind hearted to have hate brew in her mind and soul. Her grandmother, Ember, when she was still around, said Jasper reminded her of Spyro before he lost Cynder, the love of his life and not my older sister (hence where she got her name from). So to hear and see Jasper try to get angry and access a power that Kindle felt was his daughter's birthright was hard. Hard because Kindle himself never found this power, and it went against his daughter's nature to become rageful and murderous, the mindset one needed to initiate the transformation.

Exhausted from her concentration and anger, the power came to her as it usually did, but the transformation just wouldn't happen. Jasper wasn't sure what to expect, how she was supposed to do this. She was indeed angry, the murder of her mother and aunt still pained her to this day, and she wanted to avenge them both but doing so as her father wanted was just so hard. Panting while disappointed, Jasper spoke to her father, "I'm… sorry dad. I'm trying but it's… just so hard."

"I know my little Jasper. But do not give up hope; you're the final hope of this world. When you do transform, become a legendary dragon, you'll send these invaders back to wherever they came from charred extra crispy, frozen, electrocuted, crushed under earth, any element you want or all of them at once."

"And… I want to dad. I'm tired of living like this, seeing the world die, people in fear every day of more attacks from the sky. But, why is all this pressure on me? I'm just one dragon. And I'm not my grandfather."

"No one ever expects you to be, I… don't expect you to be your grandfather. Jazz… I never told you this, but I didn't really… like my father growing up. He always seemed so cold, distant, and uncaring when I was young. I knew the whole world loved him for what he did in saving it from two would be tyrants, but I as his own son didn't feel 'loved by him'. I didn't find out why he was like the way he was until after he died."

"Cynder."

"Yes. Spyro's old friend: Flame, ended up telling me why the day after my father died. I then at my father's funeral truly got to understand him, and allowed myself to love him. Sigh… I guess I'm telling you this because I fear I'm doing the same thing to you my father did to me even being in your life. Pushing you so hard to find a power you shouldn't have to use, and in turn preventing you and me from being a real father and daughter. What Spyro did to make me dislike him was unintentional on his part for he was heartbroken his entire life, his marriage with your grandma not enough apparently to appease his heart after being tricked into murdering his first love. He saved the world in the process but lost so much, so much so he couldn't live a happy life afterwards. And now here we are two generations later in a whole lot worse of a situation, and even if we succeed, what are we left with? What will you have… when this is all over? The same life your grandfather had?"

"Dad, I love you. You know that right? And I know you push me because you and the whole world need me."

"It's unfair, what's happening. What I'm asking of you. To be the hero the world needs, only to leave you longing for a life those you've saved may not even get to have. It's an unfair burden. And it's being placed on you, my only daughter."

After a long paused, Jasper continued. "I know it's unfair, but if I can shoulder this burden so that others don't have to, then I'll do it for them and I'll do it for you. That's what Spyro did and that's what Skylanders do, if I'm one of them."

"You shouldn't have to; my little girl shouldn't have to."

"But I will."

_That's the worst thing about this current situation. It feels like it's doomed without any possible means of a well-deserved resolution for the people of this world and timeline. It's always science fictions worst nightmare: an alien race more powerful, eons ahead of your own raining down from the skies and taking your home from you through genocide. Yet if you were so inclined to notice, alien races are not a part of Spyro lore. That is correct; they are however, a part of Sonic's. And as you now recall, this Earth Spyro once lived on is the same as the one Sonic will live on. And yet the evils beyond the atmosphere of what will be called Mobius in the future are responsible for the death of all life on Earth before the human race called it their own._

_Oh… and that black and red hedgehog that was mentioned twice. Safe to say that's Shadow. Things are about to get ugly. Because he has been up to a lot of no good recently (well, the past), in particular: causing all this genocide._

She promised her father she'd shoulder this burden… She did. Turns out floating islands aren't that hard to find if you're invading from the sky, for the invaders found the home of the Skylanders quite easily. The other species of Avalar and the Forgotten Realms, all across Earth, had rallied together and formed a peace keeping team of talented individuals mastering one element of many each. That after centuries of oppressions normal living beings took it upon themselves to learn how to stand and fight. That was what the ideal of the Skylanders were. Heroes made from normal citizens, and in their numbers, no longer would they have to rely on one hero to fight and sacrifice for them. They all could share the burden instead of weighing it all on one dragon.

That ideal was not easy to maintain in a situation such as this. When the opposition was so powerful the burden would be so large to share it caused misery for everyone involved. It wasn't long now, judgement day was upon the Earth. Jasper if she was to stop it would have to do so today. With her father's life ended right in front of her, in his final breaths of life he uttered one last time the words she would need to hear.

"I love you, Jasper. I tried to do right by you, but in these… trying times I'm not sure I did. Now I need you to fight, for me and my wife, my sister and for your grandfather. This world needs you… more than… I still need you."

"No dad…"

"It's… it's okay Jaz. I wasn't long for this world anyway. But at least in the time I had I got to see you grow up int the young dragoness you were meant to be. Your mother would be proud of you. I am. If she were here… she'd…"

Kindle died after that. Shadow normally didn't pause in these assaults. The goal normally was not leave any survivors. He was always capable of doing so without much effort. These "Skylanders" usually weren't a threat on their own or in teams. Not to him at least. Shadow of course took no joy in this, he really couldn't since he wasn't capable. A voice in his head, my voice to be exact, warned him that this arrangement wouldn't last forever and he'd be free, and that translated to what Shadow referred to as his conscious telling him this wasn't right (and not yelling back at me like a certain blue hedgehog does). However Shadow ignored his conscious, as per his design. He just was the invader's instrument of destruction. The Black Arms wanted this planet clear of life. And their plan usually involved transforming one of the natives to accomplish that plan so that none of their own needed to fight in combat. The plan usually worked flawlessly on the multiple worlds they've visited already, though Earth proved to be a challenge. In particular Shadow was about to find out why. He was considered an "ultimate lifeform" because of his genetically imbued connection to the Chaos Force. However Jasper also had that ability, a birthright of hers as well. The Black Arms called it the Chaos Force. Spyro's granddaughter called it the Convexity.

The scream of rage from her and subsequent violent transformation accompanied by a golden glow and red eyes for the first time had Shadow face someone of equal status to him… the opposition. He has stood idly by and let this happen, too, after killing this young dragoness' father. She was the only creature to ever survive encounters with him multiple times. And now her full power was unleashed. It tested Shadows stance that he was the ultimate lifeform, which for the first time in his emotionless life had him… intrigued. He ought to transform as well. So he did as well, more controlled and not caused by rage. Shadow and Jasper then fought, the outcome of which will be revealed later on.

* * *

Yep, that is a story for another time. How Shadow's history on Earth shaped it 30,100,000 years later. What Eggman was doing in the present after Cortex disappeared, some of which did actually involve the Black Arms. It's all exiting stuff and it will be continued in _Sonic and Megaman, Burden of Heroes_. But in the meantime, I've got one more short little tale to tell, and it involves Sonic's ghost and Crash's.

Yeah, yeah, whatever. Fourth wall breaking Sonic here. Glad to hear that my story will actually continue since half a year of ignoring it. Sheesh. But before that can actually happen I have to guest appear in a story you actually loved and finished in three months. And I have to be there dead!

To be fair Crash died in his story as well.

And time traveling shenanigans retroactively corrected that. He wasn't even dead for more than two chapters! Well, a version of him…?

And what do you think will happen to you? The same stuff. Kind of an in story reason why the events of Crash and your canons parallel so well. He is your "ass" after all.

Oh ha ha! Real funny. I'm sure every Crash fan will get that joke. Anyway, where is Crash, so I can get this over with faster?

Oh you know how this whole aiúa stuff works, don't you. There's no real time and space to worry about, you just "feel" your way around this place.

Okay, all that aiúa stuff and explanations took place in in another story mutually exclusive to this one that you are also procrastinating on finishing! Just to let the potentially confuses reader know FYI.

Ugh… didn't you want to get this over with faster?

Yeah, no time for getting into character, I'll just wing it. And BTW I hope fans get pissed at you for what you've done to Shadow.

You'll eventually get him on track. It'll be ugly though, get ready for it in your actually story.

Yep sure. Sonic then floated his way towards a very rural N Sanity Island. To avoid any confusion with the other side story that occurred in this bonus chapter, Sonic thought very loudly for you the reader to understand that this meetup between a very dead Crash and dead Sonic takes place in the new timeline. Like the one where Crash dies in the past and his aiúa then is stuck in purgatory… so to speak. It's a metaphor, that's not what's actually happening.

Sonic also knew that he and Crash never met before… like ever. They have absolutely no reason to ever coexist ever. But it was happening because the fate of the omniverse depended on it. "Oh sure it does. The whole damn thing will die unless this crossover happens."

Yes, actually, messenger boy, it actually does. You have some very important news to deliver from the future that will alter the course of events and hopefully get a crossover of massive proportions underway. Aka the fourth story of the Gaming Omniverse: _The Smash Brothers_. Oh and you're thinking aloud at the moment, let me get angle brackets on that dialogue of yours.

˂Because it really matters. The fate of the omniverse rest's on your punctuation.˃

Yes! Now stop procrastinating and "talk" to Crash. I'm sure it won't kill you, considering you're already dead.

˂Okay, okay, sheesh. It's not like I have a choice. Hey Crash, where you at… ehem… buddy!˃

Oh you're so cute. You can't flip me off, it's just words on a screen.

Crash could only watch and observe. He had died in the past, one hundred thousand years ago after being stranded there. He assumed he'd never find a way back to the present… but he was wrong. In spirit he made it back home: literally. And that meant he couldn't talk to or touch anyone he cared about. He stood by and watched himself rescue Tawna from Cortex, only to see her again die a few weeks later. He saw himself uncover the Atlas from buried underground, his own plan of warning himself of his future actually worked. Niko's life was saved from becoming N Gin. A whole lot of other Budakan's lives were saved. And I got my family back. Or, I got to see myself get it back. I meanwhile was still a ghost, unseen and unheard, watching it all unfold. There was some comfort, at least, knowing that things worked out for the better, even if I didn't get to live through it.

˂Hey, Crash buddy! There you are! A very long ass time, no see!˃

What it "felt" like to be mentioned or thought of, that sensation, had left Crash in his tens of thousands of years of waiting to catch up to the present. So to "feel" someone referring to him, want to talk to him was a new process. Aku-Aku had done so very, very sparingly, his focus on the material world. But there was someone actually "calling out for him." Perplexed beyond comparison, Crash "turned" and "looked" for the source of that spirit reaching out to him. And in doing so, he came across someone he didn't know. Crash looked in confusion, he wasn't accustomed to speaking when he was alive and certainly not now.

˂Oh don't be shy, I know that's your stick, but here's the first actual contact with someone in what must have felt like eons brother. Come on! I know you have to be exited, too. A long lost friend is here!˃

˂I don't…˃

˂Oh I know you don't know me. When I was… err…. will be alive I of course never will know you. Quite unfortunate by the way. How I will die so long in the future. Oh, and hey, that spoilery plot point was told to you reader by me in this story's epilogue, remember?˃

˂Who?˃

˂Oh, not important. I, like you, except in the opposite direction, have come here from a long point in the future for a very important reason. You remember all them years ago when you saw Cortex and Malefor come out of nowhere after you died and Spyro saved the past? Cortex had that Time Twister he was forced to build by Ripto and he, Malefor, and fortunately Spyro accidently used that machine to travel to an unknown point in the future? Well if you don't remember that it's written in the first bonus chapter of this story. Aku-Aku then said to you that the fate of the Omniverse was at stake, and here you are so many, many, many years later waiting for Spyro to reappear? Well, Spyro doesn't actually reappear at any point currently. He does so a very, very, long time from now. 30,000,000 million years to be somewhat exact. Weird right, why would Cortex want to go so far into the future? Oh… it has something to do with the same reason the Dr. Eggman of right now would want to have a time twister in the alternate timeline which you hailed from. There's a lot of complicated interweaving plotlines happening here, and I just so happed to have come from a point in time where all those storylines converge. And it doesn't go all so well. But that's the benefit of time travel; you get to correct your fuck-ups. Now I know this is a lot of information to take in, and trust me, I was defiantly confused by it. But the world still needs us, and we both will be alive again. Now don't worry about not knowing me, we've got a whole lot of time to get to know each other. I'll be your substitute Spyro. Now at some point I'm going to need to merge you with your living self's subconscious after I thoroughly explain to you my plan. But let's not get off topic. [Inhales] My name's Sonic.˃

It was a lot indeed to process. But thanks to the fact that both Sonic and Crash were aiúas, it wasn't just physical communication they were relying to talk to one another. No, it was a thought to thought conversation, where Crash not only could hear Sonic's thoughts, but also feel his intentions. He knew so much about him all at once, kind of like with Elora when he first was killed. The process was instant and fortunately non-intrusive. You get to know people so deeply and quickly in the afterlife.

˂Hi˃

˂Oh you've got to work on that dictation. Hi? That's all you've got for me buddy. This is the first time we meet in this canon, I'm sure Sonic/Crash fans are going livid at this point. We've got so much to "metaphorically" talk about, share stories and what not before we get serious and enact my plan to save the omniverse and reunite with our friends in the process, mine being Megaman and yours being Spyro. Oh I'm about to tell you all about that android in a moment. But first, let's hear it from you Crash!˃

˂I didn't know I'd wind up with more friends at some point. I'm really grateful.˃

˂Well a mutant living on a remote island could suffer from that problem. But fortunately time travel's got you covered. Oh, and it's going to be just more than Spyro and Megaman you meet. Besides just traveling time, we're going to wind up in another dimension too. Chalk full of awesome characters we'll meet. We're going to be saving the omniverse in the process but at some point those Nintendo guys and girls will be our friends, too.˃

˂That does sound… exiting. I've been alone here adrift for so long, and I do miss Spyro. But at least I won't be for much longer. And that my future and yours… is brighter.˃

˂Yeah, we may have both died for that "brighter future", but we'll both get the last laugh. Now come on, don't let me dominate the whole conversation. Whatcha got for me? Lay it on me my Australian cousin from down under.˃

˂We're… not related, are we?˃

˂Only cause we're both platformers, but no. Well… There's this whole subplot with the fact that Robotnik and Cortex knew each other at some point in the past. But they're not related and therefore we don't have like hypothetical uncles. Nah, you're just my brother from another mother. Both spawned from zany animals people didn't talk about till we got famous.˃

˂We're famous?˃

˂Oh buddy, I know you can read my thoughts here, but do not try to look into the whole fourth wall side of my character. It's a Pandora's Box of confusion. Just let the nonsense that spills out of my mouth is just that: nonsense. That goes for you, too, reader. Don't worry, you and they will get the hang of it eventually.˃

˂Umm… okay.˃

˂See? Ignoring it already!˃ Sonic than put his arm over Crash's shoulder, causing the marsupial to blush. ˂Now come on, I may know it already, but you have got to share with me that life story of yours. A friendship forged across lifetimes with a Dragon, now that sounds interesting! And when you're done, we can get back to my story; it was a real _Burden of Heroes_.

True to Sonic's promise, at that moment a very dead Crash and Sonic became friends. They'd also become friends when they are alive… or will be again. As do so many heroes across the omniverse, although maybe not as fast as just now. There's a lot of story in the way of that, but it's a story anyone would be willing to share, in particular: me telling it to you in seven stories to be exact: the stories of the Gaming Omniverse Saga.


End file.
